Gujarat Titans (GT) has ended their IPL 2023 campaign as a runner-up as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won the high-octane IPL 2023 finals. They chased down a target of 171 on the last ball in 15 overs (curtailed match due to rain). But GT has been phenomenal throughout the tournament as they have found a new hero every time they played this season. And in the IPL 2023 finals, we saw how Sai Sudharsan helps GT to post an outstanding total of 214 on the board in the first inning.
Unfortunately, an outstanding inning of Sai Sudharsan went in vain as CSK chased down a revised target of 171 in 15 overs. CSK has now won 5 titles in IPL history, matching with Mumbai Indians (MI).
CSK vs GT: IPL 2023 Final
Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
After a whole day washed out due to rain, the IPL 2023 finals were played on the reserve day. MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to field first considering the weather conditions.
1st inning- Sai Sudharsan’s 96 run powers GT to the highest score in IPL final history
GT openers gave a good start as Shubman Gill was looking in good touch as he was throughout the tournament. He played a few classy shots in his small stay, and W Saha also partnered him very well.
The pair added 67 runs for the first wicket. R Jadeja deceives Shubman Gill and MS Dhoni’s quick hands behind the stumps finished Gill’s IPL 2023 with the bat. Gill scored 39 off just 20 balls with 7 fours.
Sai Sudharsan stands out on a big stage
Sai Sudharsan came in and took his time to get used to the pace of the wicket. The run flow slowed down for a short while when W Saha and Sai Sudharsan were at the crease. GT were 96 for 1 after 11 overs.
Sai Sudharsan took on Pathirana in his 1st over
In the next over, the left hander took on one of the best bowlers of CSK, M Pathirana. He hit Pathirana for two back to back fours, one through mid-off and the other through backward point.
In the meanwhile, Saha reached his half-century in 36 balls. Deepak Chahar broke the partnership by getting Saha in the 14th over. The pair added 64 runs for the 2nd wicket.
Sai Sudharsan continues to bat well and he hit two sixes to M Theekshana in his last over.
Tushar Deshpande went for runs as well
Sai Sudharsan went after Tushar Deshpande in the 17th over. He got some luck in his favor as he hit six of the first ball of the over despite not connecting the ball in the middle. Sai shuffles across and tries to scoop over a fine leg. The ball took a thick edge and flies over the keeper for a six over 3rd man.
Then, he finds the gap between mid off and extra cover for a four. Again, he hits a four on the next ball, flat-batted past mid off. On the 4t ball, he leans down a hit it over a cover for a four. A total of 20 runs came in that over.
Tushar’s last over also went for 18 runs. Sai Sudharsan then hit two sixes of the first two balls of the last over. He hits the first six over deep extra cover and 2nd one down the ground. He got out on 3rd ball, finishing his audacious 96 runs inning with 8 fours and 6 sixes.
Sai Sudharsan gets some praise from former players
For his outstanding knock in the final, he got some praise from some of the former as well as current cricketers. Sachin Tendulkar Tweeted that- “Tonight, Sai was a treat to the eye. Well played @sais_1509.”
Virendra Sehwag also enjoyed his knock. He tweeted- “What an astonishing knock from Sai Sudharsan.”
Sai’s partner in domestic, R Ashwin also tweeted- “Sai Sudarshan from Alwarpet cc to Jolly Rovers cc to Tamil Nadu cricket team took 3 years. Where next? Well done GT on picking him at the base price.
Other than these cricketers, Ian Bishop, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, etc also praised Sai Sudharsan for his knock.
2nd inning- Ravindra Jadeja did it for CSK
CSK chased down a target on the last ball. Devon Conway, Gaikwad, Rayudu, Dube, and Jadeja all contributed to a run chase. CSK lifted their 5th title and now equals MI.
Sai Sudharsan gets some awards in the final
Despite being on the losing side, Sai got some awards in the final. He got the game-changer of the match award in the final. The award for hitting most fours also went to Sai Sudharsan along with the most valuable player of the final award as well.
Sai also got the award for hitting the longest six in the match. A total of 4 awards were given to Sai Sudharsan.
What’s your favorite moment in the IPL 2023 finals? Comment down below.
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