Indian Premier League Final, Ahmedabad;
Gujarat Titans 214-4 (20 overs): Sudharsan 96 (47), Saha 54 (39), Gill 39 (20)
Chennai Super Kings 171-5 (15 overs): Conway 47 (25), Mohit 3-36, Noor 2-17
Chennai Super Kings won by five wickets on the Duckworth-Louis method.
Chennai Super Kings scored 10 runs off the last two balls and beat Gujarat Titans by five wickets to win the Indian Premier League for the fifth time.
Sai Sudharsan’s 96 helped put the Titans in a commanding position as they ended their innings on 214-4.
Super Kings’ innings was limited to 15 overs due to rain and a target of 171 was given.
And Ravindra Jadeja hit decisive runs, a six and a last-ball four to set up a thrilling encounter.
“I was just trying to swing hard because every ball was important,” Jadeja said of the dramatic final.
“I knew anything could happen, so I was just trying to swing hard and hit it straight.”
There was already a lot of talk that this match would be the last match of Chennai’s 41-year-old captain MS. Dhoni’s career
He came on late in his team’s innings, but was dismissed for a first-ball wicket, leading to a moment of silence, before Chennai sealed victory in dramatic fashion.
Afterwards, Dhoni hinted that he might be tempted to play for another season.
He said: “It’s a great time to announce my retirement, but I’ve been absolutely loved.
“The easy thing will be to leave here, but the hard thing will be to work hard for nine months and try to play one more IPL.
“It will be a gift from me, [but] it won’t be easy on the body. You get emotional, the first game at CSK everyone was chanting my name. My eyes were watery, I had to take some time. Needed. Locked in the dugout.”
The final was originally scheduled to take place on Sunday, but heavy rain in Ahmedabad meant organizers moved it to their reserve day.
A brilliant display from 21-year-old Sidharsen, whose 96 came off 47 balls and included six sixes, put the Titans in a strong position to defend the title they won for the first time last year.
Opening batsmen Wriddhiman Saha (54) and Shubman Gill (39) also shone, while Mathisha Patherana took 2-44 for Chennai.
The Super Kings had to wait almost three hours to chase their run and, when they finally came out to bat, it was well after midnight local time.
But with 75,000 waiting patiently inside the stadium, the cricket was fearless.
Dion Conway scored 47 and Shiv Dubey remained unbeaten on 32 as Mohit Sharma took 3-36 as Chennai moved towards their target.
Jadeja sealed a hard-fought victory under the Duckworth-Louis method by hitting crucial boundaries off Sharma’s last two deliveries.
