Gujarat Titans To Face Chennai Super Kings In Final Tommorow

Gujarat Titans earned the opportunity to defend their title by scoring 233 runs in their batting innings and then effectively defending them against the Mumbai Indians' formidable batting attack. Friday in Ahmedabad, the five-time champions made a valiant effort to achieve another massive run pursuit, but ultimately failed by 61 runs to meet the enormous target.

The tale of the GT batting innings could be condensed into Tim David's two errant fielding attempts. In the sixth over, he dropped Shubman Gill at deep mid-wicket, and in the seventeenth, he captured him there. In his 60-ball 129, the GT opener hit ten sixes and seven fours, leaving MI to contemplate what might have been. It was another significant step in the 23-year-old's journey to bat greatness.

Chris Jordon's entrance to bowl in the sixth over breathed new energy into the contest. As a late replacement for Jofra Archer, the Barbados-born sprinter struggled to regain his speed. Gill dispatched a pair of Jordon's loose balls for sixes and fours on both sides of the wicket before his check-drive on 30 was caught by a fully extended David. At 50/0, GT were the happier of the two teams following Jordan's 12-run performance, but MI had no indication of the impending storm.

Gill's affection for Ahmedabad was all the Mumbai contingent knew. When he launched Piyush Chawla for a six, which crashed into the sight screen, he demonstrated the first indications of extending this relationship. After that 16-run ninth over, Kumar Kartikeya's subsequent over yielded another 10 runs, including another six by Gill over square-leg, this time off his knee. At the halfway point of their innings, GT was 91/1. They had the necessary foundation.

Gill was giving the home audience ample reasons to smile, but the excitement reached a fever pitch when he hit Akash Madhwal for three sixes, who had been the hero of the previous match. His early reading of the length allowed him to stand erect and deliver the second of the three shots, a front-foot pull.

By that time, Gill had transformed into a threatening apparition. In addition to bringing Madhwal back to earth, Chawla's absent zip began to reappear. So it seemed whenever the senior spinner bowled to Gill. Gill scored 20 runs in the 13th over delivered by the leg-spinner by hitting a six down the ground and one over long-on. The GT opener was recognizing Chawla's goolies and punishing him accordingly. If the intention was to encourage him to take risks by going aerial, Gill did so voluntarily and without a second invitation.

With Gill scoring boundaries, he reached his century in 49 deliveries. His third of the season, his second at the Narendra Modi stadium in GT's colors, and his fourth overall at the same venue – all in 2023.

By the 15th over, Gill was also prancing down the track in order to pace. His six against Cameron Green, in which he short-arm struck a six despite being off-balance, demonstrated the zone he was in. Between overs 12 and 15, Gill nearly added 67 runs to the total on his own.

Also See | Sachin Tendulkar's Chat With Shubman Gill Goes Viral

By the time he was dismissed in the 17th over, Gill had accumulated 11 sixes, one more than he had in his ODI double-century earlier in the year. Following Gill's dismissal on 192, Hardik Pandya's quickfire 28* (13b) propelled GT to 233, a commanding total for a knockout match.

MI's in-form batsmen attempted to compete. Rohit Sharma and Nehal Wadera were dismissed early. But Tilak Varma faced Mohammed Shami, the tournament's purple-cap holder. GT's powerplay champion went full, wide, and short, but Tilak managed to stroke 4,4,4,4 and 6 for a 24-run victory. That moved MI to 72/2 in 6.

But Rashid Khan ended Varma's cameo at 43 (14b, 5x4, 3x6) to conclude his appearance. Suryakumar Yadav's 61 runs kept his team in the game. Even for him, however, this was a bridge too far.