IPL 16 : Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings – Match 1 : Ahmedabad
The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League ( IPL ), Cricket’s mega show got rolling with the defending Champions Gujarat Titans ( GT ) taking on MS Dhoni’s yellow brigade the Chennai Super Kings ( CSK ), at India’s finest cricket arena in Ahmedabad. The Narendra Modi Stadium was packed to the rafters as a glittering opening ceremony unfolded.
The Burden of Expectations
GT winning the trophy in their debut season last year were expected to start on a winning note while CSK who had a rather forgetful foray last year were the underdogs so to say. A win for them away from their fortress at Chepauk, Chennai, was the ideal start they were looking for. A close contest was on the cards and with Ben Stokes bolstering the CSK unit ( a massive buy ), GT were going to be pushed. Hardik won the toss and elected to field.
Sublime Ruturaj
Mohd Shami started the way he had begun last year. Beautiful presentation of the seam at a lively pace had Devon Conway in trouble and eventually he got one through his defences with the ball just doing enough, making a mess of the timber behind. GT had made a good start. But Ruturaj Gaikwad was in sublime touch. With exquisite timing he is blessed with abundance of class too. The strokeplay from him was a journey from the gorgeous to the audacious. He was a treat to watch and was in mesmerising form.
Shami, Rashid , Alzarri : The Formidable Trio
Moeen Ali, played a lovely cameo too and was all grace and timing before he perished to the guile of Rashid Khan ( after a DRS reprieve in the same over ). Probably he should have been more guarded against Rashid. The wicket of Moeen just shifted the flow of the match in GT’s favour. Ben Stokes, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube and the dependable Ravindra Jadeja did not light up the arena so to say. GT have a terrific bowling attack with a world class trio blessed with both pace and spin of top notch quality and had it not been for Ruturaj’s 92 ( laced with 9 sixes, phew !! ), CSK would have been struggling. MSD in the end struck a couple of blows to get CSK to 178, a chaseable target for the Titans.
The Saha and Gill Show
CSK had missed Deepak Chahar last year and his much anticipated return would have given lot of confidence to CSK. Chahar has been superb in the power play and his exploits in the first 6 overs have always lifted CSK. Though he bowled well, Chahar went wicket less, which was a blow of sorts for the men in yellow. Tushar Deshpande, the first impact player, was blunted by a brutal assault from Vriddhiman Saha. GT were well and truly on course and though they lost Saha, Shubhman Gill ( in the form of his life ) showcased some exceptional strokeplay. His short arm jabs sending the ball soaring away made people stand up and take note. Sai Sudarshan, the impact player from GT ( replacing an injured Kane Williamson ) too pushed the scoring and though GT lost Hardik Pandya and Shubhman Gill in quick succession to some avoidable shots, GT were well and truly on their way.
Titans Prevail : pic courtesy ETV Bharat
GT Cross the Line
The match did go to the wire a bit, but Vijay Shankar, the ice cool Rahul Tewatia and the Man of the Match Rashid Khan, saw GT through. The Titans once again ( much like last year ) clinched another close match. They are in a habit of doing so, which gives then that edge over others.
Tough Titans
GT have one of the most balanced teams in the competition. They are a good batting side ( they will become more formidable once David Miller joins them soon ) and have a terrific bowling attack led by Shami, Rashid Khan and the fast improving pacey Alzarri Joseph. All boxes ticked for them. They would be tough to beat.
Bowling woes for CSK
CSK on the other hand had a rather subdued match so to say, barring Ruturaj’s heroics. Their bowling attack looks rather fragile to me and unless and untill their batting powers them through, the team might struggle. Tushar Deshpande did not impress at all and though the rookie Hangangekar got 3 wickets, the bowling overall looks average. They need some pace upfront. They are missing Mukesh Chowdhary big time. However with Dhoni at the helm and Chepauk on their side, the yellow army may spring in a surprise. There is a lot to play for.
An Exciting Weekend Coming Up
So the ball has been set rolling. Today Kolkata Knight Riders led by Nitish Rana ( what an opportunity for him ) take on Punjab Kings at Mohali, while Delhi Capitals under David Warner travel to Lucknow to lock horns with K L Rahul led Lucknow Super Giants. Some exciting action coming up.
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Featured Image : IPL 16 / pic courtesy Sporting News
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Thank you Binu