IPL 2023 final: GT post a mammoth 214/4 against CSK
Gujarat Titans racked up a mammoth 214/4 against Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. A substantial start from Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha fueled the Titans before Sai Sudharsan took over. He smashed an incredible 96 to light up the innings. Notably, a 200-plus total has been chased only once in a final.
Gill, Saha shine in Powerplay
The Powerplay of the IPL 2023 final saw plenty of action after CSK elected to field. Gill and Saha started attacking the CSK bowlers following a somber first over. Deepak Chahar dropped Gill on two, while Saha struck Chahar for 16 runs in his second over. Chahar dropped Saha too on 21. GT scored 62/0 in the first six overs.
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.
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.
Gill completes 550 runs in Ahmedabad
Gill relishes playing at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium and has slammed 572 runs in IPL 2023 here at a 70-plus average (71.50). The tally includes three fifties and two tons. Kohli (scored 597 runs at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium in 2016) is the only other batter with over 550 runs at a venue in a particular IPL season.
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).
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).
