IPL 2023 Final: MS Dhoni Becomes First Cricketer Ever To Achieve Mammoth Feat
MS Dhoni added another massive milestone to his already illustrious career during the IPL 2023 final.
MS Dhoni added an unique milestone to his already illustrious career during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 final between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday. Dhoni became the first cricketer ever to play 250 IPL games – with most of them coming for CSK and some for Rising Pune Supergiant. Dhoni is followed by Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma who has played 243 matches in the competition. When it comes to T20s, Dhoni is third in the list with 377 behind Rohit and Royal Challengers Bangalore wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik.
Dhoni won the toss for CSK and opted to field in the summit clash.
“We’ll bowl first with the rain forecast being around. Yesterday we were in the dressing room. As a cricketer you always want to play. It was the crowd that suffered the most. Hopefully we can entertain them. Pitch has been under cover for a long time, but throughout the tournament the pitch has behaved well over here. Quite happy it will be a 20-over game we’ll be playing. Serves justice to the tournament like this. Same team,” Dhoni said at the toss.
Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya said that he would have also liked to bowl first.
“Would’ve bowled first as well, but my heart wanted to bat so I don’t mind losing the toss. We spoke that it is something out of our control (weather). Whichever team plays better will have their hands on the trophy. I like keeping the boys cool, and they repay me. It’s a flat track (what he makes of the pitch?). Same team,” he explained.
Following the win, RCB star Virat Kohli shared a star-studded message for the all-rounder and made a special mention of MS Dhoni, the CSK skipper, in his post.
It was an IPL final like never before. And it lived up to all the anticipation after rain washed out the final on Sunday and then delayed the affair midway through Monday. But the three-day final ended on a blockbuster note as it went down to the very last ball of the competition. Ravindra Jadeja pulled off an absolute stunner with Chennai Super Kings needing 10 off 2 against a confident Mohit Sharma to guide the side to a record-equalling fifth IPL title against Gujarat Titans. Following the win, RCB star Virat Kohli shared a star-studded message for the all-rounder and made a special mention of MS Dhoni, the CSK skipper, in his post.
Requiring 13 off the last over, Mohit started off on a fascinating note, bowling four consecutive yorkers. He only conceded three runs off those four balls. Gujarat were suddenly in the contest as much as Chennai, hoping to become the third team in IPL history to successfully retain the trophy. And just when GT looked they had their one hand on the trophy, Jadeja smacked the next ball, an undercooked yorker, over long on for a six.
There were suddenly immense tension among the GT teammates. Captain Hardik Pandya ran to Mohit again and had a long chat with the bowler. But nothing made a difference. The right-arm pacer missed the line and length this time, going for a low full toss on the pads and Jadeja drifted it down past short fine for a boundary as CSK won by 5 wickets
CSK vs GT, IPL 2023 Final Highlights: Jadeja’s last ball boundary helps Chennai win 5th title in thriller
CSK vs GT, IPL 2023 Final Highlights: Ravindra Jadeja hit a four off the last ball to lead Chennai Super Kings to their fifth title
CSK vs GT, IPL 2023 Final Highlights: Ravindra Jadeja hit a four off the last ball as Chennai Super Kings equalled Mumbai Indians’ record for most IPL titles. Sai Sudharsan had propelled Gujarat Titans to a score of 214/4 by smashing 96 off just 47 balls. The 23-year-old Chennai lad smashed eight fours and six sixes in his innings as he made the most of the death overs. Earlier, Wriddhiman Saha scored 54 off 39 on a day when his prolific opening partner Shubman Gill was limited to a score of 39 off 20. Only slight drizzles appeared throughout the GT innings which didn’t cause stoppages of any kind. However, the stoppage came eventually after the third ball of the first over of the CSK innings with heavy rain pouring down at the stadium. While the rain itself didn’t last long, it was the wet outfield, particularly a problematic practice pitch at the edge of the square that caused the biggest delay. Finally, the match got reduced to 15 overs and CSK’s target was revised to 171. The match eventually resumed and it has been a see-saw affair ever since. Big hits from Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube and Ambati Rayudu helped CSK’s cause but Mohit Sharma came in with the important wickets whenever it looked like the opposition was running away with it. Mohit bowled the last over as well and brought it down to CSK needing 10 to win off the last two balls. But Ravindra Jadeja ended up smashing the second last ball for a six and the last ball for a four to lead CSK to a five-wicket win and their fifth title.
