IPL 2023 GT Vs CSK: Rashid Khan, Tewatia Help Gujarat Titans To Win The Last-over Thriller. The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicked off today with a mesmerising opening ceremony. Defending Champions Gujarat Titans (GT) were square off against four-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the biggest cricket stadium in the world, Narendra Modi Stadium. With around one lakh fans in attendance, the atmosphere was electric and filled with excitement. Cricket fans across the world were waiting for the moment IPL 2023 starts.
Gujarat Titans won the toss and put the opposition to bat first. Rajvardhan Hangargekar made his IPL debut today. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway opened innings for CSK. However new ball bowler Mohammed Shami gave the first blow to CSK by dislodging the stumps of Conway in his first over. Even after losing a quick wicket, Gaikwad and one-down batsman Moeen Ali played attacking to give a sparkling start to CSK. Ali made 23 runs off 17 balls before getting dismissed by spinner Rashid Khan.
Ruturaj Gaikwad Lit Up The Stadium With Sparkling Performance
Youngster Gaikwad continues to milk runs with attacking strokes. He smoked two back-to-back sixes off opponent’s skipper Hardik Pandya. He dominated the bowlers to complete his fifty in just 23 deliveries. CSK continue to lose wickets from one end, but still, it does not affect Gaikwad. Ultimately, he fell just short of eight runs from his century in the tournament opener.
His sensational knock lit up the Narendra Modi Stadium. His imposing knock was studded with four boundaries and nine humongous sixes. CSK skipper MS Dhoni finished the innings of his side with a few attacking strokes at the end. CSK amassed 178 runs in 20 overs after losing seven wickets.
Shubman Gill Smashed Eye-Catching Fifty
In the second innings, CSK made an impact on player substitution by replacing Ambati Rayudu with pacer Tushar Deshpande, which is the first-ever impact substitution in the IPL 2023. Gujarat Titans made an impact player substitution by replacing the injured Kane Williamson with batsman Sai Sudharsan.
While chasing the total, opener Wriddhiman Saha gave an explosive start to the Titans. Fast bowler Rajvardhan Hangargekar took a wicket on debut. Saha made 25 runs off 16 balls with the help of two fours and two sixes. Opener Shubman Gill stitched a vital partnership with one-down batsman Sudharsan.
Also Read: Chennai Super Kings IPL 2023: Complete CSK Squad, Players List, Schedule, Venues, And Time In IST
Gill played attractive shots in all parts of the ground and completed his fifty in just 30 balls. Spinner Ravindra Jadeja bowled skipper Pandya for just eight. Substitute Deshpande picked the wicket of Gill and put defending champions in deep trouble.
However all-round pair Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan turned the tables in the last two overs. Gujarat required 23 runs in the last two overs. Rashid and Tewatia smashed three boundaries together in the penultimate over. In the final over, Tewatia smacked two back-to-back boundaries off Deshpande to help Gujarat Titans to win the tournament opener.
Brief Scorecard: Gujarat Titans 182/5 (19.2 overs) (Gill 63, Shankar 27, Hangargekar 3/36) beat Chennai Super Kings 178/7 (20 overs) (Gaikwad 92, Rashid 2/26) by five wickets.
Playing XIs Of Gujarat Titans And Chennai Super Kings
Gujarat Titans Playing XI: Hardik Pandya (c), Wriddhiman Saha (w), Shubman Gill, Joshua Little, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, Rashid Khan, Kane Williamson, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Mohammed Shami
Chennai Super Kings Playing XI: MS Dhoni (wk/c), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Ambati Rayudu
