The final match of the 16th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was played between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT) at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday (May 29).
MS Dhoni, after winning the toss, decided to send Gujarat out to bat first amid the fear of rain. It proved to be a questionable call owing to the nature of results in the IPL this year.
The decision was not so good for the yellow army as Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha piled on the pressure, with runs coming quickly for the hosts. Gill was dropped at three during the fourth ball of the second over when Deepak Chahar put down a sitter at square leg. As CSK failed to capitalize on the opportunity, Gill went on a rampage, smacking Tushar Deshpande for a hat-trick of fours and then another three on the trot off Maheesh Theekshana to race to 37 off 17 balls. Two balls later, Gill again tested the agility of the fielders of Chennai as he ran for a single, Ravindra Jadeja collected the ball, but it lobbed out of his hands upon contact with the stumps. Chennai again missed a chance to pull the curtains down on Gill’s inning.
Gill and Saha had got the GT off to a flier in the final with their partnership of 67 runs in 6.5 overs. Gill, who had notched up three hundred in his last four innings, had been dropped early in the innings by Chahar. He was looking well set for another ton and going at close to a strike rate of 200, and the pitch looked flat and good for batting. However, some good bowling from Jadeja and sharp stumping from Dhoni behind the stumps eventually brought Gill’s downfall.
The Gujarat-born all-rounder bowled a neat over, conceding just five runs off the first five balls before he decided to change the game on its head. Jadeja, bowling to Gill, gave the ball some flight and pitched it just outside off stump. The youngster tried to drive it on the front foot but expected the ball to turn less than it did. He missed the line completely, and Dhoni dislodged the stumps. Gill couldn’t do much except see Dhoni confidently raise his arms with complete surety. The right-handed batsman had to depart after scoring 39.
MS Dhoni has been receiving praise from all over for his fast glove work, and his former teammate Virender Sehwag has also lavished praise on him. The former India opener took to Twitter to praise Dhoni in his own unique style.
He tweeted: He tweeted, “Wow ! One can change bank notes from bank but behind the wickets one cannot change MS Dhoni ! Nahi badal sakte .. As fast as ever MS Dhoni.”
Wow ! One can change bank notes from bank but behind the wickets one cannot change MS Dhoni ! Nahi badal sakte .. As fast as ever MS Dhoni.
pic.twitter.com/zSRnz8DIXI— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) May 29, 2023
Under the guardianship of the iconic Dhoni, CSK furnished their already remarkable record in the IPL with a fifth title triumph, beating GT by five wickets in a thrilling summit showdown.
