It was an exhilarating match at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, where the crowd passionately supported MS Dhoni’s team clad in yellow.
Chennai had a shaky start as opener Ruturaj Gaikwad was dismissed early on by Darshan Nalkande, but luck was on Gaikwad’s side as the bowler had overstepped.
Taking advantage of the reprieve, Gaikwad went on to play a remarkable innings, scoring 60 runs off 44 balls. His partnership of 87 runs with Devon Conway for the first wicket set the tone for Chennai’s batting.
Despite the pitch becoming increasingly challenging, Chennai managed to post a competitive total of 172-7, thanks to valuable contributions from various players, including a quickfire unbeaten nine from England all-rounder Moeen Ali.
In response, the Gujarat Titans struggled to find their rhythm against the spin and bounce of Ravindra Jadeja and Mahesh Theekshana. Shubman Gill, who has been exceptional throughout the IPL season, surpassed 700 runs but faced difficulties in finding his fluency and eventually fell to Deepak Chahar.
The departure of Gill and the subsequent dismissal of David Miller by Jadeja further dented the Titans’ hopes. Late in the innings, Rashid Khan’s spirited batting injected a glimmer of hope for the Titans with a flurry of boundaries, but it wasn’t enough as Chennai comfortably sealed the victory, dismissing the final Gujarat batsman on the last ball of the match.
With their place secured in the final, Chennai eagerly awaits Sunday, May 28, for the ultimate showdown in Ahmedabad. As for the Gujarat Titans, they still have a chance to join Chennai in the final.
On Friday, they will face the winner of the match between the Lucknow Super Giants and the five-time champions Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2. The Eliminator match on Wednesday will decide which team moves forward, while the loser will be eliminated from the tournament. It’s an exciting phase as the race for the trophy intensifies.