IPL 2023, CSK vs GT Highlights: Ruturaj Gaikwad’s hard-fought 50-balls 92 went in vain as defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) rode on Shubman Gill’s hard-fought 35-ball 63 to beat four-time IPL winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by five wickets in CSK vs GT IPL 2023 tournament opener at world’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday (March 31). With this win, Hardik Pandya’s Gujarat started their title defence on a winning note as they beat CSK for the third time in IPL history to remain unbeaten against them in the world’ richest T20 League. 

After Gill got out, GT were under immense pressure. To add to their woes, MS Dhoni-led dismissed well-set Vijay Shankar for 27 at a crucial juncture in the game. The match hung in balance in last two overs but some late lusty blows from Rashid Khan (3-balls 10) and Rahul Tewatia (14-balls 15) ensured that Gujarat ended up with a 5-wicket victory. 

Earlier, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Ruturaj Gaikwad regaled the near capacity crowd in Ahmedabad with his batting exploits (92 runs off 50 balls) to help four-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winners Chennai Super Kings post a competitive 178/7 against defending champions Gujarat Titans in IPL 2023 opener. Gaikwad rocked Gujarat’s bowling lineup with his sublime strokeplay, mostly relying on fours and sixes to pull his team back into the game after losing early wickets. Apart from Gaikwad, Moeen Ali (17-ball 23) was another CSK star whose attacking intent troubled Gujarat batters. Ali’s fiery cameo was key in setting the tone for Chennai in tonight’s match.

With CSK on top, GT skipper Hardik Pandya introduced his key wicket-taker Rashid Khan in the powerplay and as he often does, he got the big breakthrough by dismissing dangerous looking Moeen Ali. In his second over, Rashid removed all-rounder Ben Stokes for his second wicket, leaving CSK reeling at 70 for three. GT pulled themselves back into the game in the middle overs by restricting the flow of runs and also took the wicket of Ambati Rayudu.

However, the fall of wickets did not make Gaikwad change his game as kept on dealing with fours and sixes. 

Shivam Dube struggled for runs and his dismissal put pressure on Gaikwad who got out in the 17th over, missing out on a well-deserved hundred by just eight runs. Captain Dhoni, batter number eight, turned back the clock as he hammered the ball for fours and sixes, batted with a strike rate of 200 to ensure CSK cross the 170-run mark. The last five overs yielded 45 runs for CSK.