It looks like the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and IPL finals, and to some extent, titles, were meant to be together. After all, CSK made it to the final of the biggest T20 league in the world for a record-setting 10th time by beating the defending champion Gujarat Titans by 15 runs at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.
Even though Chennai has won a lot of prizes, the Mumbai Indians still have more. They have won five titles in six finals, while Chennai has won only one.
Even though MI has won the most trophies, it’s clear that MS Dhoni’s team is the most reliable when it comes to getting in the top four at the end of the league stage and making it to the final. There’s also no denying the effect the CSK has on people, both young and old, and how they improve as players while they’re in the Chennai locker room. This is what makes this club stand out from the rest.
The first playoff game of the 16th season was between CSK and GT. GT’s team culture and consistency over the last two seasons seem to have been influenced by CSK. CSK’s performance against GT showed why this team is so special and why they are the clear favorites to win the trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
After Gujarat captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and decided to stick to his team’s strength of chasing down targets, seamer Darshan Nalkande, who replaced Yash Dayal in the only change between the two sides, appeared to have given the table-toppers the perfect start after striking in only his third delivery of the season.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has 564 runs this season, chipped towards Shubman Gill at midwicket and was out for 2 off six balls. So GT reasoned. The no-ball hooter went out moments later at Chepauk, much to the joy of the raucous, yellow-clad CSK fan army. The 26-year-old then showed a glimpse of what was to come by blasting Nalkande for a six and a four on the next two deliveries, shattering the shackles.
The exploits of their in-form openers (Devon Conway is the other) have been the cornerstone of Chennai’s batting performances this season, and while both have clicked on the same day at times, much to the chagrin of opposing bowlers, they’ve also made sure to fill in for each other if their partner found the going tough on a given day.
On Tuesday, Gaikwad seized center stage, moving ahead while Conway was failing to time the ball and bringing up the fifty-point partnership shortly after the powerplay ended. While taking the odd risk against Noor Ahmad, the pair had been quite conservative against Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan, the two people at the very top of the bowling charts who are presently battling for the Purple Cap. Later, they welcomed Mohit Sharma into the assault with a 12-run over that contained two boundaries for Gaikwad.
At the halfway point, Chennai had 85 runs with no wickets down and Gaikwad on 59. His knock gave Shivam Dube, Ambati Rayudu, and the rest of the batting lineup the confidence to go for the throat in the second half of the game. Even though the Gujarat bowlers came back with a flurry of wickets and Mohit silenced the Chepauk crowd by getting rid of Dhoni for just one, Gaikwad’s knock meant that Chennai only needed two or three big overs to get to 172. This would have been well below par at Wankhede or Chinnaswamy, but at Chepauk, it was a pretty good score.
