CSK vs GT: Chennai Super Kings defeated Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 and booked their tickets for the Final in Ahmedabad

Chennai Super Kings are through to their 10th IPL final. They beat defending champions Gujarat Titans by 15 runs. Gujarat were only able to score 157 chasing a target of 173. CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 60 off 44 deliveries. CSK's opening pair stayed unbeaten in the first 10 overs but GT then clawed their way back. Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, and Moeen Ali pushed CSK to 172/7. In response, GT hardly got any momentum at any stage of their chase. Shubman Gill was kept silent by the CSK bowlers. He ended up falling for 42 off 38 balls. Rashid Khan came in and smashed 30 off 16 balls to give his side a glimmer of hope. Deshpande dismissed him and CSK booked a spot in the final. Read the Match Report of the CSK vs GT clash and share your thoughts in the comments.

Read Also: 'MS Dhoni cried that night,' Harbhajan Singh shared the CSK captain's rare emotional moment

CSK vs GT: Qualifier 1 Match Report

Gujarat Titans won the toss and decided to bowl first. Rurutaj and Conway both inform-batters opened the inning for Chennai Super Kings. Nalkande dismissed Gaikwad but the decision changed because of the no-ball. Gaikwad never looked back and started hammering the opposition bowlers. Conway struggled but didn't make any mistakes and held his ground strong from the other end. Chennai scored 49 runs in the powerplay. Only Shami was able to restrict some runs among the bowlers.

Gaikwad completed his fifty in 37 deliveries and gave a perfect stage to Chennai Super Kings for reaching a good total. Mohit Sharma came into the bowl and in his second over, he got rid of in-form Gaikwad for 60 runs. Gaikwad played a brilliant inning but lost his wicket while trying to play a big shot. Dube came in but Noor Ahmed dismissed him in the next over and Chennai lost their second wicket at the score of 90.

Rahane and Conway constructed a short partnership of 31 runs. Rahane tried to change the gear but found Shubman Gill in the 15th over. Shami then dismissed Conway for 40 runs. Jadeja and Raydu played some big hits that helped CSK reach a fighting total of 172 after losing 7 wickets.

Read Also: Most Centuries in T20 Cricket

CSK vs GT: Qualifier 1 Match Report

In form, Shubman Gill started the chase alongside the experienced Wriddhiman Saha. Chennai Super Kings bowled tightly right from the start. It worked in favour of them as Chahar got rid of Wriddhiman Saha in the third over. Gill managed to control the situation but Gujarat were only able to score 41 runs in the powerplay after losing two wickets. Theekshana and Jadeja gave no space to the batters for playing big shots.

They continued bowling wicket to wicket which resulted properly. Theekshana got the massive wicket of skipper Hardik Pandya in the last over of the powerplay and Gujarat fell under pressure. Shanaka and Gill tried to construct a partnership but it was so sluggish. They couldn't time the ball properly and the credit should go to Dhoni for bringing the spinners at the right time. Shanaka tried to shift the momentum but Jadeja dismissed him in the 11th over.

Chennai bowlers bowled properly in the middle overs to restrict Gujarat from chasing the total

He struck again during his last over of the spell. Jadeja got away with the wicket of the dangerous Miller which helped CSK to gain full control of the match. Chennai did the thing which the others were unable to do. They kept Gill silent and it put him under pressure. Obviously, it was a different pitch but inform players like Gill can perform anywhere. That's what quality batsmen do. Chahar came to bowl the final over and scalped the wicket of Gill for 42 runs.

Rashid Khan played an effective cameo of 30 runs in the end but it was too good to be true for them. Chennai doesn't make mistakes repetitively. Tushar Deshpande gave away runs foolishly but Dhoni managed to use him properly somehow. Jadeja was the best among the bowlers. He only conceded 18 runs and also picked two crucial wickets. Chahar's comeback has been excellent for the team as he has now picked 12 wickets in 5 matches after coming back from the injury. Chennai Super Kings won the match by 15 runs and booked their tickets for the Final in Ahmedabad.