Indian Premier League, Ahmedabad:
Gujarat Titans 182-5 (19.2 overs): Gill 63 (36), Hungargakar 3-36
Chennai Super Kings 178-7 (20 overs): Gaikwad 92 (50), Khan 2-26
Gujarat Titans won by 5 wickets.
Defending champions Gujarat Titans defeated Chennai Super Kings by five wickets in front of 100,000 people in the opening match of the 2023 Indian Premier League.
The 16th edition of the lucrative tournament kicked off in Ahmedabad with a grand opening ceremony and fireworks display.
Chennai, featuring England duo Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali, scored 7-178 thanks to Rutoraj Gaikwad’s 92 runs.
But Gujarat, thanks to opener Shibman Gill’s 36-ball 63, chased down the total with four balls to spare.
Afghanistan’s star spinner Rashid Khan dismissed England all-rounder Moeen for 23 and England Test captain Stokes – bought at auction for £1.63 million – for seven as both batsmen got the better of wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha.
Ambati Rayudu and Gaekwad’s 51-run partnership helped rebuild Chennai’s score, but Joshua Little, the first Irishman to take a wicket in the IPL, bowled Rayudu for 12 runs.
New Zealand’s Kane Williamson nearly caught Gaikwad on the boundary for 71 but, after landing awkwardly on his right knee, he was taken off the field by a physiotherapist and ruled a doubt for Gujarat’s next game. is the reason
Gill and fellow opener Saha gave the Titans a strong start, before Saha fell for 25 to IPL debutant Rajvardhan Hungarikar, part of India’s recent U-19 Cricket World Cup-winning squad. were part.
The 20-year-old all-rounder also dismissed Sai Sudharshan (22) and Vijay Shankar (27).
The Titans needed 23 runs from the last two overs and Rashid hit Deepak Chahar for a six off the first ball and a four off the second ball, leaving eight runs to spare for victory.
Rahul Tiyotia made the final over a formal one as he hit Tushar Deshpande for a six before ending the game with another boundary.
Khan was adjudged Man of the Match and said of the award: “It gives me a lot of energy for the rest of the competition. I constantly try to bowl in the right areas and batting means time in the nets. to spend.”
Chennai captain MS Dhoni said: “We were a bit short, another 15-20 runs would have been good. We can’t afford to bowl nine, it’s in our power.”
