Destiny played the cards of the finals of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 in such a way that there was a fairy-tale ending for MS Dhoni in the IPL. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat Gujarat Titans (GT) by 5 wickets in a rain-curtailed IPL 2023 final.
Batting first on the reverse day of the finals, Gujarat Titans posted a humongous total of 214 runs on the board. It was the highest ever total in an IPL final. Just when Chennai Super Kings started their chase, there was heavy rain and the match was stopped.
The CSK vs GT finals was then reduced to 15 overs and CSK had a target of 171 runs. With plenty of ebbs and flows in the game, the final went right down to the wire.
In this article, we take a look at the top 3 talking points of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Gujarat Titans (GT) final which took place at Ahmedabad:
1. MS Dhoni hints at comeback in next season
When broadcaster Harsha Bhogle asked MS Dhoni about his retirement plans, MS Dhoni gave an answer that ushered in a ray of optimism in all cricket lovers. Dhoni said that he will try to stage a comeback if his body permits.
The entire stadium erupted in joy and the loud noise was reverberating inside the entire stadium, way past midnight.
“If you circumstantially see, it’s the best time to announce the retirement. The easy thing for me to say is thank you and retire,” said MS Dhoni.
“But the hard thing to do is to work hard for nine months and try to play one more IPL season. The body has to hold up. But the amount of love I have received from CSK fans, it would be a gift for them to play one more season. The way they’ve shown their love and emotion, it’s something I need to do for them,” the talismanic skipper added.
2. Ravindra Jadeja keep his nerves and pulls off a stunning chase
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was the cynosure of all eyes in the last over against Mohit Sharma. He first smashed a six down the ground off a full-length ball bowled by Mohit Sharma.
Then Jadeja flicked the ball towards the fine-leg region when a low full-toss on the leg side was bowled by Mohit Sharma. Jadeja had scored 15* runs in 6 balls and guided CSK to their 5th IPL title.
3. Sai Sudarshan’s fabulous knock goes in vain
21-year-old southpaw Sai Sudarshan scored a sensational knock of 96 runs in just 47 balls. His innings were one of the highest order and it was oozing with class and flamboyance. Sai smashed 8 fours and 6 sixes and had a sensational strike rate of 204.26.
Even though Gujarat Titans ended up being on the losing side, the youngster’s knock will be remembered for a long time.
In IPL finals, it is the 3rd highest score. Only Shane Watson and Wriddhiman Saha have scored more runs than him in terms of individual knocks in IPL finals.
Also read: IPL 2023: 3 Gujarat Titans Players Who Played Beyond Expectations
