CSK lifts Tata IPL 2023 Trophy in the last ball thriller at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
CSK lifts Tata IPL 2023 Trophy in the last ball thriller at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Mondays play of the Tata IPL grand finale at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium will be remembered for Chennai Super Kings’ victory at the last ball thriller. Credit goes to Ravindra Jadeja who hit the winning last ball for a boundary. Needing 10 runs in 2 balls Jadeja finished it off with a six and four.
Coming to bat amid the reduced over of 15 and to make 171 to win, CSK started off well. Then lost couple of wickets, but ir was Rayadu and Jadeja who took the responsibility and did CSK proud. Tension prevailed among the CSK supporters and even though Dhoni disappointed the supporters by getting out in the first ball for a duck, Rayadu Dube and Jadeja made it. Dhoni lifted Jadeja in emotion for the last ball victory.
This was the 5th IPL win for CSK who defeated Gujarat Titans in the most dramatic fashion to lift the trophy forbthe record fifth time. Ravindra Jadeja was the hero for them hitting 10 runs off the last two balls helping the side get over the line.
However, it was a team effort especially from the batting unit that beat all the odds to chase down 171 runs in just 15 overs in a truncated innings.
Ambati Rayudu, playing the last game of his career, also played a huge role smashing 19 runs off just 8 balls with one four and two sixes to his name. His assault of the said boundaries off Mohit Sharma turned out to be crucial in bringing the equation down for CSK who eventually won the match in the last-ball thriller. With this title victory, not only CSK became the most successful team alongside Mumbai Indians, Ambati Rayudu also became the player to win most IPL trophies ever.
Only Rohit Sharma had won the cash-rich league most times as a player and Rayudu just equalled him in this aspect. MS Dhoni, on the other hand, won the IPL trophy for the fifth time, all as captain, and levelled up with the Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya.
Speaking after the match, Rayudu got emotional and called it a fairytale finish to his career. “It’s a fairytale finish and and he ouldn’t have asked for more. It’s unbelievable, really fortunate to have played in some great sides. This win is something he will remember for the rest of his life, for all the hardwork in the last 30 years, happy that it finished on this note. Hebwould like to take this moment to thank his family and father, without him he wouldn’t have been here today.
All said what people will remember is of the MS Dhoni stunner that ended Shubman Gill’s blistering season with a 39-run knock off 20 balls. It was a blink-and-you-miss-it stumping, leaving Gill stupefied, as were the members of the Indian team.
News input KV Raman
