The 2023 IPL season began with a riveting clash between Chennai Superkings and Gujarat Titans, CSK is led by the legendary MS Dhoni, while Hardik Pandya is the Captain of GT (Gujarat Titans: The reigning champions). It was a spectacular battle between two superbly talented teams that left the fans on the edge of their seats.
Hardik Pandya, the captain of Gujarat Titans, had led his team to their previous IPL 2022 season. The team started the same with amazing performance all departments. Hardik won the toss and chose to field first, a shrewd decision indeed, because the pitches in Asia behave differently in the second innings. The dew factor favors the batting side in second innings.
The bowlers had a great time in the first few overs, with the ball swinging wildly and making it difficult for the batsmen to score. Ruturaj Gaikwad, however, proved to be an exception, with a brilliant knock of 92 runs off just 52 balls. He kept the scoreboard ticking along with Moeen Ali, who contributed a valuable 23 runs off 17 balls before getting dismissed by a fantastic delivery from Rashid Khan.
| Player | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devon Conway | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16.67 |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | 92 | 50 | 4 | 9 | 184.00 |
| Moeen Ali | 23 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 135.29 |
| Ben Stokes | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 116.67 |
| Ambati Rayudu | 12 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 100.00 |
| Shivam Dube | 19 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 105.56 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| MS Dhoni (C) (Wk) (Not Out) | 14 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 200.00 |
| Mitchell Santner (Not Out) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Chennai Superkings managed to post a respectable total of 178 for 7 in their 20 overs, thanks to the heroics of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Moeen Ali. Rashid Khan was the pick of the bowlers for Gujarat Titans, taking two crucial wickets while conceding just 26 runs in his four overs. Muhammad Shami and Alzarri Joseph also chipped in with two wickets each.
| Player | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wriddhiman Saha (Wk) | 25 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 156.25 |
| Shubman Gill | 63 | 36 | 6 | 3 | 175.00 |
| Sai Sudharsan (IP) | 22 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 129.41 |
| Hardik Pandya (C) | 8 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 72.73 |
| Vijay Shankar | 27 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 128.57 |
| Rahul Tewatia (not out) | 15 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 107.14 |
| Rashid Khan (not out) | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 333.33 |
In the second innings, Gujarat Titans got off to a great start with openers Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha playing with confidence and flair. Shubman Gill was particularly impressive, scoring 63 runs off just 36 balls, with six fours and three huge sixes. The Titans chased down the target with four balls to spare and five wickets in hand, giving them a flying start to the season.
Overall, it was a thrilling match that showcased the talents of both teams and set the tone for what promises to be an action-packed IPL season.
