In a match fit for a title match, Chennai Super Kings won the IPL for the fifth time. In one of the tournament’s most dramatic finishes in history, Ravindra Jadeja blasted a six down the middle and a four to fine leg off Mohit Sharma with 10 needed off the final two deliveries.
More about the outcome…
In a chase that was delayed by weather, the game swung back and forth as CSK were fueled by a number of cameos before they appeared to falter at the end. Mohit Sharma took two wickets, and he and Mohammed Shami combined to go 13 balls without hitting a boundary.
It consisted of the first four of the last over, where 13 were required. When Mohit switched to a pace-up full-length tactic, he initially had success, but Jadeja was able to stay deep in the crease and loft a six down the ground before waiting for a low full toss and swinging it to the fine leg fence, setting off hysterical celebrations in front of the 75,000 spectators who had remained despite the rain delays.
For CSK, who else did it?
The opening pair of Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad set the tone with a revised target of 171 in 15 overs. In the first stand of 74 runs, the former took on the role of an aggressor by smashing 47 balls. The two went in rapid succession, but a reversal was started by Afghanistan’s youthful left-arm spinner Noor Ahmed, who delivered two blows in a period of 2-17.
Ajinkya Rahane led the way with a 13-ball 27 before Ambati Rayudu stepped up with an 8-ball 19 in his farewell IPL innings, but CSK continued the hitting pace throughout. Shivam Dube had been struggling to increase his strike rate the entire game, but off Rashid Khan’s final two deliveries, he rediscovered his striking range and hammered two significant sixes. The final run completed a satisfying victory for CSK despite MS Dhoni’s golden duck. The strategy was somewhat determined by the predicament they were in as a result of an excessive rain delay that forced them into a difficult scenario.
Added delay due to rain?
Yes, and one that caused the game to extend into a third day of the calendar. After the Gujarat Titans, led by Sai Sudharsan, put on a strong batting effort, a brief shower produced significant seepage on a square, which forced the game to be suspended for more than two hours.
AKA The Sai Show
Sai Sudharsan’s brilliant 96 off 47 helped Gujarat Titans finish with the highest score ever in an IPL final. Gujarat Titans made the right decision by sending in a left-hander early and preventing the bowlers from CSK from settling in. And the 21-year-old batter from Tamil Nadu made certain that he provided what was required of him.
His inning got off to a poor start because he only had 10 off of his first 12 balls. But his rise in strike rate coincided with CSK’s carefully thought-out death bowling strategies. In his first two overs, Sudharsan scored two boundaries off their specialist Matheesha Pathirana, sandwiched between two sixes from Theekshana. Tushar Deshpande, who attempted to bombard a crowded offside pitch with 6, 4, 4, and 6, received the real punishment. Before being caught LBW, he continued to hit two more sixes off Pathirana in the final over, having completed the task that was anticipated from the effective Shubman Gill.
Which way did Gill go?
Usually full of promise, as Gujarat had amassed the greatest powerplay total in an IPL championship game owed in large part to his 20-ball 39. After being the early beneficiary of a lost catch at backward square leg due to Deepak Chahar botching a trap, he smashed seven boundaries in his cameo. When Gill entered the powerplay, the errors in the field also gave him the opportunity to attack CSK’s star spinner Theekshana, hitting him for three straight boundaries. However, just as he was about to hit the ball, MS Dhoni used some deft glovework to put a stop to Gill’s innings as Jadeja beat him and pulled him out with a powerful turner.
Saha advances
Saha made sure that CSK suffered for it by taking advantage of fielding errors once more, surviving a fluffed run-out opportunity and a lost catch. He played the role of an enforcer to perfection during that time, dismissing Deepak Chahar with 6, 4, 4, and used all of the fielding restrictions inside the powerplay to get his second fifty of the season. His 50 played the ideal transition between Gill’s early assault and Sai’s subsequent onslaught as Gujarat amassed 214, which ultimately proved insufficient.