Ahmedabad

Shubman Gill scored a half-century (63) as Gujarat Titans (GT) registered a five-wicket win against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at Narendra Modi Stadium here on Friday.

Shubman Gill struck 63 off 36 while Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan hammered crucial boundaries off the final over as Gujarat Titans started the defence of their title on a winning note.

CSK's Tushar Deshpande became the first Impact Player (substitute) in the IPL. He came in place of Ambati Rayudu. GT's Sai Sudharsan joined him as the second player to be picked as Impact Player, coming in as a substitute for New Zealand batter Kane Williamson, who had suffered an injury while fielding in the first innings.

CSK's Rajvardhan Hangargekar had a dream IPL debut as he picked up three wickets for 36 runs in his four overs.

Chasing 179, Titans' had a similar start to that of CSK with just three runs off the first over. Then, Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha hit Deshpande for a couple of fours and a six, taking 15 runs off the over. 

Debutant Hangargekar did not have the start he expected as he overstepped and sent down a no-ball on the second ball of his IPL career. He followed that up with a wide. Saha Dispatched the short ball over mid-wicket with a pull for a four on a free hit.

Hangargekar was quick to bounce back as a couple of singles later he claimed his maiden IPL wicket in his first over and dismissed Saha, who got the thick edge of the bat and was caught at deep mid-wicket with Shivam Dube running to his right to complete a brilliant catch.

The next over, Gill shifted gears and punched it through cover for a boundary. After a single, Deshpande conceded a no-ball, and Gill dispatched it over deep mid-wicket for an authoritative six on the free hit. Gill then hit a couple of boundaries to Mitchell Santner in the sixth over to take the powerplay score to 65 for the loss of one wicket.

After taking singles and doubles in the seventh over, Gill went for two boundaries against Santner in the eighth over. The next over him and Sai Sudarshan crossed the 50-run partnership for the second wicket.

In the 10th over, Hargargekar struck again to trap Sudarshan for 22. The latter looked for the cut, but it was too wide for him. He found the under-edge that carried the ball behind to Dhoni. Then, skipper Hardik Pandya came to join Gill in the run-chase.

Halfway through the chase, the Titans were in a comfortable position with 93/2 on the board. Gill was in his classic style as he kept looking a big hit and he brought up his fifty off 30 balls.

In the 13th over, Jadeja struck and bowled Pandya cheaply for 8. The GT skipper went for a sweep but missed it completely.

The next over, Gill pulled through deep mid-wicket for a six to Deshpande. After being expensive, the latter got CSK the much-needed breakthrough, sending Gill back to the hut for 63. The GT opener opted for the big slap towards the deep-mid wicket where Gaikwad ran in to complete a catch.

With 34 needing off 24 for GT to win, Chahar gave away just four off the 17th over. Then, Hangargekar came back in attack in the 18th over. He started with a couple of dots followed by a single but conceded a massive six off the next ball by Vijay Shankar. But there was a twist in the tale as Titans reviewed the ball for a wide.

On the next ball, Hangargekar dismissed Shankar (27) to finish his four-over quota with three wickets.

With 18 needed off 9 balls to win, Rashid Khan went for a six to deep mid-wicket and followed that up with a boundary to bring GT back in the driving seat.

With 8 needed to win off the final over, Deshpande started with a wide and the next ball Rahul Tewatia dispatched the ball for a six over mid-off and sealed the deal with four on the next delivery.

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Earlier, Gaikwad's scintillating 92-run innings, decorated with four boundaries and nine maximums helped CSK to 178/7.