Team head Vikram Solanki was proud of his team, the Gujarat Titans (GT), for giving it their all and fighting until the last ball in the IPL 2023 final against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Solanki said that a full 40-over game might have made a difference, but he would not take anything away from Chennai, who deserved to win.
On Monday, May 29, the spare day of the IPL 2023 final, CSK beat GT by five wickets (using the DLS method). After losing the toss and having to bat first, Gujarat got to 214/4 in 20 overs thanks to Sai Sudharsan’s great 96 off 47 balls. After a long rain delay, Chennai was given a new goal of 171 runs in 15 overs. The last ball got them home.
Solanki talked about the effects of a shorter final at the press conference after the game. He said:
“It might have made a difference [that the match was cut short], but I’m not going to take anything away from CSK. Not now. They were winners, and they deserve to be winners. We did everything we could. We played until the very last ball.”
“The rules changed all the time. We were really good with the bat, even if the weather changed. You can keep talking about that, but I won’t take anything away from what the team has done.”
One reason GT lost was that their experienced leg-spinner Rashid Khan had a bad day and cost them a lot.
Solanki threw his support behind the franchise’s best player and said:
“Today was not his best showing, but that happens sometimes in sports. He is a great team player and an excellent team bowler. He has been a big part of the last two seasons.”
Even though Noor Ahmad, a young left-handed wrist spinner, did well with his numbers of 2/17, Rashid gave up 44 runs in three overs without getting a wicket.
“When Shubman got out, it was all about taking the game a little further,” said GT hitter Sai Sudharsan.
All the talk before the IPL 2023 final was about Shubman Gill, the franchise’s in-form opener who had ruled with the bat in the team’s last few games. But Sai Sudharsan scored the most runs for GT in the final with a brilliant hit.
After Gill was out for 39, the left-handed hitter took over and hit eight fours and six sixes to get close to 100 runs.
When asked how he planned to bat in the final, Sudharsan answered:
“When Shubman was taken out, it was all about going a little deeper into the game and keeping an eye on the scoreboard. I was trying to take risks and go far in the game.
“It was more about the mental side, like how to get ready, how to be aware, or how to decide what to do in that moment. I’ve worked on that a little bit, and I’ve also worked on my skills. Definitely, I’m happy and thankful to have helped the team, but I’m also a little bit sad that the outcome didn’t go our way.
Sudharsan, who is 21 years old, played eight games for GT in the IPL 2023. He scored 362 runs, with three half-centuries, at an average of 51.71 and a strike rate of 141.41.
