Chennai: A late flourish from skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and Jamie Overton lifted Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to a competitive 158/7 in 20 overs against Gujarat Titans (GT) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.
Asked to bat first, CSK endured a turbulent start as Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada exploited the pace and bounce on offer. Siraj set the tone with a probing opening over, while Rabada struck crucial early blows, including the prized wicket of Sanju Samson (11), who had briefly counterattacked.
The top-order collapse continued as Impact Substitute Sarfaraz Khan fell for a first-ball duck, and debutant Urvil Patel departed soon after, leaving CSK reeling at 28/3 at the end of the Power-play, one of their lowest totals this season.
With wickets tumbling, Gaikwad struggled to find fluency, enduring a prolonged boundary drought as Gujarat’s disciplined attack tightened the screws. Manav Suthar further dented CSK’s innings by removing Dewald Brevis, reducing the hosts to 38/4.
The scoring rate dipped drastically through the middle overs, with CSK crawling to 50 only in the 12th over, their slowest team fifty of the season. However, Gaikwad began to shift gears alongside Shivam Dube, who provided some impetus with a few timely boundaries and a six.
The duo added valuable runs before Dube (22) was bowled by Arshad Khan, just when he looked set to accelerate. Gaikwad, meanwhile, brought up a patient half-century off 49 balls, the slowest fifty in IPL 2026, highlighting the challenging batting conditions.
CSK found some late momentum as Gaikwad and the lower middle order attempted to lift the scoring rate. A brief but explosive cameo from Jamie Overton, who struck 18 off just six deliveries, injected much-needed impetus during the death overs.
However, Rabada returned to lead the bowling effort with impressive figures of 3-25, while Arshad chipped in with two wickets to keep CSK in check. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Gaikwad held one end firm and remained unbeaten on 74 off 60 balls, anchoring the innings.
He capped off the final over with a series of boundaries, ensuring CSK finished strongly after a sluggish start.
The home team experienced a tale of two halves. Although CSK aimed for a higher total, their comeback from early setbacks, driven by Gaikwad’s resilience and strong late hitting, enabled them to set a competitive score on a pitch that favoured the bowlers.
Brief scores:
Chennai Super Kings 158/7 in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 74*, Shivam Dube 22; Kagiso Rabada 3-25, Arshad Khan 2-43) against Gujarat Titans
(IANS)
