STUNNING FINISH
Chennai Super Kings won a sensational Indian Premier League final against the defending champion Gujarat Titans off the last ball recently at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Gujarat Titans were put in to bat first and got off to a fine start with their openers Shuban Gill and Wriddhiman Saha slamming CSK bowlers all around the ground.
Titans posted 214-4, the highest ever total in a final, highlighted by 21-year-old Sai Sudharsan’s 96 off 47 deliveries and Wriddhiman Saha’s 54 off 39 balls. Sai Sudharsan played the scintillating innings to notch up the highest score by an uncapped player in the history of the Indian Premier League final.
Rain halted Chennai’s chase in the first over for almost 2 1/2 hours, and the target was reduced to 171 in 15 overs.
A fantastic launch by openers Devon Conway, 47 off 25 balls, and Ruturaj Gaikwad, 26 off 16 raised a half century stand within the four-over powerplay.
Spinner Nood Ahmad removed both openers in the same over but Chennai kept coming hard. Ajinkya Rahane added 27 off 13 and Rayudu punished Mohit Sharma with 6-4-6 before he was caught and bowled next ball.
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni also fell to Mohit Sharma for a duck, leaving Shivam Dube, an unbeaten 32 off 21 with Jadeja.
Mohit Shami bowled a brilliant penultimate over to give Mohit Sharma a cushion of defending 13 runs in the final over. Chennai was squeezed in the last over, Mohit Sharma ended up with 3-36, conceded just three runs off the first four deliveries and needed 10 runs off the final two balls. Sharma got his length wrong and Ravindra Jadeja hit a straight six. Sharma then got his line wrong and Jadeja hit a four to fine leg to complete a stunning five-wicket win.
Victory gave Chennai a record-equaling fifth title and gave retiring batter Ambati Rayudu a sixth IPL title, tying him with Rohit Sharma as the league’s most successful players.
