Chennai Super Kings continued their winning streak in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 by defeating Gujarat Titans by a margin of 63 runs in match number 7 of the tournament on Tuesday in Chennai.
In the encounter at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium, Gujarat Titans won the toss and elected to bowl first against the five-time champions, Chennai Super Kings. Youngster Rachin Ravindra initiated his innings impressively, consistently finding boundaries during the powerplay.
As he approached the 40s, Ravindra's aggressive intent led to his dismissal through a fine stumping by the GT keeper, Wriddhiman Saha, providing the visitors their initial breakthrough. While Ajinkya Rahane struggled during his time at the crease, CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad managed to increase the scoring rate for the home side. Rahane's innings came to an end with another stumping by Saha, this time off the bowling of Tamil Nadu-based spinner R Sai Kishore.
As Ruturaj neared his 40s, he too departed after edging one to the keeper, courtesy of a short delivery by Spencer Johnson. However, Shivam Dube immediately found his rhythm, smashing consecutive sixes at the start of his innings and maintaining the momentum throughout, frequently attacking the bowlers.
Dube reached his fifty in quick time but fell victim to Rashid Khan's bowling as he attempted to accelerate further in the death overs. Nonetheless, Sameer Rizvi made a notable impact in his first batting appearance for CSK, hitting two maximums off the first three deliveries. He was dismissed by Mohit Sharma in the subsequent over as CSK concluded their innings, setting a target of 207 runs.
Playing XI for Chennai Super Kings (CSK):
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Sameer Rizvi, MS Dhoni, Deepak Chahar, Mustafizur Rahman, Tushar Deshpande
Playing XI for Gujarat Titans (GT):
Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudharsan, Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Umesh Yadav, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Spencer Johnso
