The Indian Premier League 2023 (IPL 2023) season kicked off on March 31 with defending champions Gujarat Titans taking on MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Having been asked to bat first, Chennai Super Kings posted a total of 178/7 in their allotted 20 overs. Ruturaj Gaikwad starred with the bat, having scored 92 runs off just 50 deliveries. His knock included nine maximums and four boundaries.
Mohammed Shami, Rashid Khan, and Alzarri Joseph each picked up a couple of wickets for the home side.
In reply, the defending champions’ openers Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill took their team off to a good start. Wriddhiman Saha (25 off 16), Sai Sudharsan (22 off 17), and Vijay Shankar (27 off 21) contributed to their team’s success.
However, it was Shubman Gill who made the task easier for the Titans with a splendid performance. He amassed 63 runs off 36 balls before losing his wicket off Tushar Deshpande’s bowling.
Rajvardhan Hangargekar was the pick of the bowlers for CSK, having picked up three wickets on his debut. He finished his four-overs spell with figures of 3/36. The 20-year-old bowler picked up the wickets of openers Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill, while also dismissing Vijay Shankar off his final over.
IPL 2023: Gujarat Titans top points table after Match 1 vs CSK
Gujarat Titans are currently atop the IPL 2023 standings with a couple of points, having won the game by five wickets. They have a Net Run Rate (NRR) of +0.514, while CSK have a negative NRR after losing the IPL 2023 season opener.
Afghanistan all-rounder Rashid Khan was awarded the player of the match award for his all-round performance. He picked up the wickets of Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes to finish his four-over spell with figures of 2/26.
Rashid also hit a four and a six each in the penultimate over off Deepak Chahar’s bowling to ease the equation for the Gujarat-based franchise.