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Gujarat Titans dent CSK’s playoff hopes

cricket10 May 2024 18:40| © MWP
By:Patrick Compton
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Gujarat Titans dented the playoff prospects of the Chennai Super Kings when the basement franchise beat them by 35 runs in their Tata IPL match in front of a huge crowd of 90 143 at Ahmedebad on Friday night.

CSK remain fourth in the table, although their net run rate took a hit, while the Titans climbed from bottom to eighth with 10 points.

Their chances of making the playoffs, however, are slim.

The win was set up by centuries from Gujarat’s Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, the openers compiling the equal highest opening partnership in the history of the IPL, 210, to enable the home team to reach a challenging 231 for three after they had lost the toss and been put in to bat.

CSK never really recovered from a disastrous start to their innings as they slumped to two for two and 10 for three inside three overs.

Rachin Ravindra was run out by an underarm throw from David Miller to get the ball rolling, then, next ball, Ajinkya Rahane chipped a slower ball from Sandeep Warrier to mid-off before skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was superbly caught on the square leg boundary by Rashid Khan.

A surrender looked possible at this stage but a lightning fourth-wicket partnership of 109 in 57 balls between Daryl Mitchell (63 off 34 balls) and Moeen Ali (56 off 36 balls) gave CSK some hope, but their dismissals in the 13th and 15th overs by Gujarat’s outstanding bowler on the night, paceman Mohit Sharma, ensured a comfortable win for the Titans, keeping alive, if only mathematically, their playoff hopes.

The massive crowd, dominated by CSK supporters, did have some fun in the end, however, when their hero, MS Dhoni, slammed three sixes – two of them one-handed – in an unbeaten cameo of 26 in 11 balls when the match had already been lost.

Sharma finished with the splendid figures of 3-31 off his four overs, accounting for Mitchell, Ali and the dangerous Shivam Dube (21 off 13 balls).

There was even some late wickets for legspinner Rashid Khan who claimed two scalps in three balls after a less than successful IPL campaign this year.

RUTHLESS BATTING

Earlier Gill and Sudhasan flayed the CSK attack in an exhibition of graceful, albeit ruthless batting. In effect, the right/left pairing were graceful executioners, finding spaces all around the ground as they matched each other shot for shot.

They scored their runs in 104 balls with Gill slamming nine fours and six sixes in his fourth IPL hundred while Sudharsan cracked five fours and seven sixes in his debut IPL ton.

Despite their onslaught, the Titans might have been a mite disappointed that they didn’t breach the 250 mark.

Both openers got out in the 18th over and Chennai were able to recover to the extent of restricting Gujarat to 41 for three in the last five overs with David Miller struggling to find the boundary.

It was, however, the second highest total ever compiled by the Titans in the IPL and the innings was enriched by some wonderful ball striking by the opening pair.

The bowling analyses of some of the CSK bowlers didn’t bear much looking at with Mitchell disappearing for 52 in four overs and Simarjeet Singh faring even worse, going for 60 in his spell.

But Tushar Deshpande, who claimed both openers, did well to return figures of 2-33 in his four overs while Shardul Thakur was even more economical, conceding just 25 in his spell.

GUJARAT TITANS: Shubman Gill*, B Sai Sudharsan, M Shahrukh Khan, DA Miller, MS Wade(wk), R Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, UT Yadav, MM Sharma, Kartik Tyagi

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS: RD Gaikwad*, R Ravindra, DJ Mitchell, S Dube, MM Ali, RA Jadeja, MS Dhoni(wk), MJ Santner, SN Thakur, TU Deshpande, Simarjeet Singh

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