A year ago, it was Gujarat who lost the IPL final on this ground. Their opponents were Chennai, led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Despite scoring over 200 runs at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, Hardik Pandya’s Gujarat Titans couldn’t clinch the championship.
The current IPL is entirely different. Both teams have changed captains. However, Gujrat made the way to the playoffs difficult for Chennai, who won the match by 35 runs.
On Friday, Chennai captain Ruturaj Gaikwad decided to bowl first after winning the toss. Dhoni made the same decision in the previous IPL. However, this time the decision favored the Titans.
Opening duo Shubman Gill (104) and Sai Sudharsan (103) set up a partnership of 210 runs. This partnership surpassed the previous IPL record for the highest partnership in the opening slot. In 2022, DC’s D Cock and KL Rahul remained unbeaten with 210 runs against KKR.
Unfortunately, Gujarat’s two batters couldn’t break that record. They needed to be satisfied with the fourth-highest partnership in IPL history. But the quiet dismissal of both players left Chennai’s bowlers jubilant.
Shubman, who didn’t make it to the top 15 run scorers in the T20 World Cup squad, seemed to answer with his innings. He celebrated with great enthusiasm. Just four balls later, Sudharsan reached the century mark with a six.
In the last IPL final, he fell just 4 runs short of the century mark. But this time, he stopped at a century. Both fell back to back in the 18th over. The last three overs only yielded 12 runs. Gujarat lost three wickets in the process and ended at 231 runs.
Gujarat’s bowling started well. Chennai lost three wickets for just 10 runs. Rahane, Rabin Rabin, and Ruturaj all failed. The continuous batting collapse put Chennai in trouble, but Daryl Mitchell (63) and Moeen Ali (56) paved the way for Chennai’s return to the match.
However, their return brought hope, but the darkness of defeat enveloped Chennai’s camp. Gujarat’s excellent fielding also made a difference in the match. Jadeja (18) and Shivam Dube (21) tried hard. Dhoni’s magic (26) also failed to bring back the match.
Chennai lost the match by 35 runs. Despite moving from fourth to the league table, questions will arise about their consistency, especially away from home. Although they are still in contention for the playoffs, the road has become tough for Ruturaj and his team.
