CSK crowned champions of IPL 2023, win record-equaling fifth title
Chennai Super Kings have been crowned champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. The Yellow Army defeated Gujarat Titans in a run-curtailed final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, to claim a record-equaling fifth title. Both CSK and Mumbai Indians own five IPL titles now. CSK chased down 171 after incessant rain truncated the original target of 215. Here are the key stats.
How did the match pan out?
CSK won the toss and elected to field. Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha helped GT score 62/0 (PP). While Gill departed early, Saha slammed a quickfire fifty. Sai Sudharsan fired as GT reached 214/4. Rain spoiled CSK's start before the Yellow Army bounced back. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway started well, while Ravindra Jadeja propelled CSK to victory with a final-ball four.
The Super Kings roar again!
CSK have captured their fifth IPL title. They previously lifted the trophy in 2010, 2011, 2018, and 2021. CSK had reached their 10th IPL final (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2023) after beating GT in Qualifier 1. While MI have played as many as six IPL finals, no other team has reached the final more than three times.
Gill finishes with second-most runs in an IPL season
Gill was in fine touch in the final. He managed 39(20) with the help of 7 fours. He completed 890 runs in IPL 2023, now the second-most runs by a batter in a season. Virat Kohli, who scored 973 runs in 2016, remains the only player with over 900 runs in a season. Besides, Gill went past Jos Butter's tally of 863 runs (2022).
Sensational run in IPL finals
The CSK clash marked Gill's third consecutive appearance in IPL finals. The batter crossed the 35-run mark every single time. He played a crucial 45*-run knock off 43 balls against Rajasthan Royals in the last season's final, guiding GT to the trophy. In IPL 2021, he slammed a crucial 43-ball 51 against CSK while representing Kolkata Knight Riders, albeit in a losing cause.
Saha shines in the final
Saha, who knows the formula for finals, smashed a quickfire half-century. He reached the 50-run mark off 36 balls in the 13th over. Saha finally smashed 54 off 39 balls, a knock laced with 5 fours and a solitary six. It was his second fifty of the season. Saha finished the season with 370 runs, the second-most for the Titans.
Saha attains these feats
As per Bharath Seervi, Saha is the first player to record 50+ scores for two teams in IPL finals. He slammed an unbeaten 115 for Punjab Kings against KKR in the IPL 2014 final. Saha's scores in IPL finals: DNB for CSK vs RCB (2011), 115* for PBKS vs KKR (2014), 5 for GT vs RR (2022), and 54 for GT vs CSK (2023).
Oldest batter to score a half-century in IPL final
At 38 years and 217 days, Saha has become the oldest batter to score a half-century in the IPL final. He broke the record of Shane Watson, who smashed a century in the IPL 2019 final, at 37 years and 329 days.
Highest PP score in an IPL final
GT's 62/0 is now the highest powerplay score in an IPL final so far. Gill scored 36 off 17 balls, while Saha contributed with a 19-ball 26 in this phase. Notably, Maheesh Theekshana leaked 13 runs in the sixth over.
A crucial knock by Sudharsan
Youngster Sai Sudharsan came to the middle after GT lost Gill at 67/1. However, he didn't let the scoring rate drop. The 21-year-old brought up his third fifty of IPL 2023 off 34 balls. He smashed 1 six and 3 fours in the 17th over bowled by Tushar Deshpande. Sudharsan fell four runs short of his maiden IPL century (96 off 47).
Sudharsan attains this feat
At 21 years and 226 days, Sudharsan has become the second-youngest batter to score a half-century in the IPL final. He broke the record of Manan Vohra, who smashed a fifty in the IPL 2014 final, at 20 years and 318 days.
A look at the notable numbers
GT's 214/4 is the highest score by a side in the IPL finals. Sudharsan now has the second-highest score by uncapped players in the IPL playoffs. This is the third-highest individual score in IPL finals. As per Cricbuzz, it was just the second time that the first three wickets saw 50-plus partnerships in an IPL playoff game (Gill, Saha, and Sudharsan).
Dhoni completes 300 T20 dismissals as wicket-keeper
CSK skipper MS Dhoni has become the first Indian to register 300 dismissals in T20 cricket. His closest rival is Dinesh Karthik, who owns 296 dismissals. No other Indian wicket-keeper has even 200 dismissals. During the final, Dhoni stumped Gill with a reaction time of 0.1 seconds. Dhoni also took a brilliant catch behind the stumps to dismiss Saha.
First player to feature in 250 IPL matches
Dhoni featured in his 250th IPL match. The 41-year-old, who has been a part of the tournament since the inaugural edition (2008), is the most-capped player in the league. Rohit Sharma (243) and Karthik (242) trail him in this regard. 220 of Dhoni's appearances came in CSK colors. He made 30 appearances for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant (2016 and 2017 seasons combined).
Second-most runs for CSK in a season
Conway continued his sublime run in the final as well. He came out all guns blazing and ended up with a 25-ball 47 (4 fours and 2 sixes). The left-handed batter slammed just over 650 runs in IPL 2023 at more than 50. Conway now has the second-most runs for CSK in an IPL season, only behind Michael Hussey (733).
Gaikwad, Conway record over 800 partnership runs
Gaikwad and Conway have added 849 runs together in IPL 2023, only the second pair to touch the 800-run mark. They are only behind RCB's star opening duo of Faf du Plessis and Kohli, who added 939 runs together in the season. Gaikwad and Conway finished the season with an average of over 55 as an opening pair.
