If ever there is an ideal example of a team effort in a T20 match, Chennai Super Kings’s (CSK) victory over Gujarat Titans (GT) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium would serve as a template. The Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 is off to a great start for the defending champions, as they recorded a 63-run win over last year’s finalists GT and sounded an intimidating roar from their famous den. 

On being invited to bat first, CSK made their attacking intentions clear from the outset, courtesy of Rachin Ravindra. The left-hander started his IPL career with an aggressive knock against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and carried that into this match with an explosive 46 off 20 to set the tone for CSK. 

Ruturaj Gaikwad had some fortune early on when he was dropped at first slip in the first over. With Gaikwad then holding one end, Ravindra unleashed an array of great shots to entertain the Chennai crowd. By the time Ravindra was dismissed, CSK had sped to 62 within six overs. 

Gaikwad maintained the tempo after Ravindra’s dismissal – keeping the scoring rate over 10 an over. R Sai Kishore had a decent start to his spell, and the wicket of Ajinkya Rahane in the 11th over was a big reward. A couple of overs later, Spencer Johnson induced an edge off Gaikwad’s bat. 

Shivam Dube walked in at 127 for three in the 12th over. GT may have felt they could put pressure on CSK with the set batters back in the hut. Dube smashed the first two balls he faced off R Sai Kishore for sixes and never looked back thereafter. 

Starting in style, the Shivam Dube way 💥💥

Clean striking from the @ChennaiIPL all-rounder 🔥

Head to @JioCinema and @StarSportsIndia to watch the match LIVE#TATAIPL | #CSKvGT | @IamShivamDube pic.twitter.com/ea62h7DAZB

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 26, 2024

Daryl Mitchell had the best seat in the house as Dube attacked the GT bowlers, racing his way to a fifty in only 20 balls with five sixes and two fours. The left-hander has had a great run of form over the last year and lived up to it in this game. Rashid Khan ended the Dube onslaught in the 19th over when he holed out in the covers. 

Inspired by the Dube blitz, Sameer Rizvi walked out for his maiden innings of the Tata IPL. The youngster wrote his name in the record books by smashing his first ball for six. Showing no signs of nerves, he swept Rashid over square-leg for six and followed it up with another maximum by lofting one over log-off. This personified CSK’s approach through the day as a youngster, effectively making his debut, showed no nerves and walked onto the big stage with panache. 

Sameer Rizvi has announced his arrival at the #TATAIPL 😎

Two confident strokes with maximum result 💪

Head to @JioCinema & @StarSportsIndia to watch the match LIVE 💻📱#CSKvGT pic.twitter.com/fKnWHV3Ltz

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 26, 2024

The 207-run target was always going to be a huge challenge for GT, but their captain Shubman Gill showcased his intentions when he lofted his first ball for a six over long-off. Wriddhiman Saha essayed some confident shots early on and picked boundaries. However, Deepak Chahar opened the account for CSK when he trapped Gill leg-before in the third over. 

It was then an uphill task for GT, getting steeper and steeper with each passing over. With wickets falling at regular intervals, the pressure only intensified on the batters that walked into the middle. Sai Sudharsan, GT’s Player of the Match in their season opener, tried to hold the innings together with a 31-ball 37, but the innings never got going for the visitors. 

The CSK bowlers backed the efforts of their batters with a complete team effort. Chahar’s two for 28 to begin with and Tushar Deshpande’s two for 21 in the middle overs helped keep the pressure on the GT batters. Matheesha Pathirana played his first match of this edition and marked it with the wicket of Sai Sudharsan. Mustafizur Rahman’s two wickets helped him clinch the Purple Cap at the end of the game. 

With CSK’s victory in this game, the streak of teams winning at home in the Tata IPL 2024 continues.