The final of the IPL 2023 began, albeit on the reserve day with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) taking on the Gujarat Titans (GT) on May 29, 2023, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The match was supposed to be played on May 28, Sunday, but heavy rains spoiled the moment with the crunch encounter being pushed to reserve day.
Knowing that the Ahmedabad pitch is favorable for chasing with rain and dew present, MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bowl first. The seasoned CSK keeper-batter, MS Dhoni, is captaining a team for the 226th time in the IPL and participating in his 250th IPL match as a player, the most-ever.
Before being stumped by MS Dhoni off Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill scored 39 runs and concluded the IPL 2023 with 890 runs across 17 matches. Together with Wriddhiman Saha, he added 67 runs for the first wicket.
Saha proceeded and smacked 54 in 39 balls with 5 fours and 1 six.
However, it was the 21-year-old Sai Sudharsan, who gave his team momentum. He smacked 96 runs with 6 sixes and 8 fours in just 47 balls and looked good for a ton before getting LBW to Matheesha Pathirana in the last over.
Hardik’s 12-ball 21* took GT to a massive 214/4 in 20 overs, the most by any team in an IPL final thus far.
However, the praise was reserved for young Sai Sudharsan, who shined brightly for his team when it needed the most and the cricket fraternity whole-heartedly lauded the 21-year-old.
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