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- CSK vs GT highlights, IPL 2026: Sai Sudharsan, Kagiso Rabada shine as Gujarat Titans beat Chennai Super Kings by 8 wickets
CSK vs GT highlights, IPL 2026: Sai Sudharsan, Kagiso Rabada shine as Gujarat Titans beat Chennai Super Kings by 8 wickets
If the first half belonged to the bowlers, the chase was all about calculated aggression as Sudharsan produced a shining tutorial in adapting to conditions, smashing 87 off 46 balls to anchor Titans’ comfortable pursuit of 159.
The win moved Titans to fifth position from seventh with eight points.
On a pitch that had earlier demanded caution, Sudharsan showed how to blend restraint with intent, picking the right deliveries to attack while respecting the bounce on offer.
He found an able partner in skipper Shubman Gill, who made a brisk 33 off 23 balls before falling to spinner Noor Ahmad.
The Titans openers laid a solid foundation with a 58-run stand, effectively taking the game away from CSK in the Powerplay itself. Gill looked fluent, mixing elegance with aggression, but his dismissal did little to slow the visitors.
Sudharsan, who had struck a century in the previous game against RCB, carried his sublime form forward, unleashing a range of strokes, particularly against pace to keep the scoreboard ticking at a healthy rate.
The left-hander's seven sixes underlined his dominance on a surface where CSK’s batters had struggled earlier in the day.
Jos Buttler played the perfect supporting role, remaining unbeaten on 39 off 30 balls as Titans reached 154 for 1, finishing the chase with 20 balls to spare.
Ahmad and Akeal Hosein took a wicket apiece while the rest struggled to contain the flow of runs as the Titans batters showed far better awareness of the conditions.
Earlier, on a pitch that offered sharp carry, stroke-making demanded discretion and adaptability.
Instead, CSK's batters often opted for high-risk shots without fully assessing conditions, and paid the price with a flurry of miscued dismissals, managing 158/7.
Invited to bat, CSK never quite found rhythm but skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s maiden half-century (74 not out) of the current IPL season lent a semblance of respectability to the total in a season where 200-plus scores have become commonplace.
Gaikwad's knock came off 60 balls with six fours and four sixes after a laboured start.
The tone was set early by GT pacer Mohammed Siraj, who extracted steep bounce and forced errors.
Sanju Samson (11) began watchfully, negotiating the first over before opening up against Kagiso Rabada (3/25) to bring up his 5000 IPL runs milestone.
However, Rabada’s bounce soon accounted for him as a hard slash outside off resulted in a faint edge that Jos Buttler pouched safely.
The dismissal triggered a collapse. Urvil Patel (4) fell in the same Rabada over attempting an ambitious pull, while Sarfaraz Khan (0) succumbed to Siraj’s extra lift, mistiming a short ball to offer a simple catch.
At 28 for 3 inside the Powerplay, CSK were already in trouble.
Gaikwad and Dewald Brevis (2) needed to rebuild, but the latter’s impatience against spinner Manav Suthar led to his downfall, holing out after failing to get to the pitch of the ball.
The mounting wickets forced Gaikwad into a shell, an approach that, while understandable, further stalled the momentum.
Dot balls piled up, with CSK reaching 50 only in the 12th over.
The skipper eventually broke free, taking on Arshad Khan and Jason Holder with a couple of towering sixes, but the acceleration came too late.
Shivam Dube, dropped thrice on 6, 11 and 22, struggled for fluency before Arshad cleaned him up.
Kartik Sharma (15) and Jamie Overton (18) provided late impetus with a few lusty hits, but the damage had already been done.
On a pitch that rewarded discipline and smart shot selection, Titans' bowlers executed their plans to perfection, while CSK’s batters failed to read the conditions in time, a lapse that ultimately defined the innings.
- Sai Sudharsan 9 (9)
- Shubman Gill 22 (15)
Anshul Kamboj to Sai Sudharsan, Another tidy over from Anshul Kamboj! Just a single from it. Back of a length, wide outside off, Sai Sudharsan attempts to capitalize on the width as he tries to cut it away, but connects it from the inner half of the bat and the ball bounces off toward cover.
Anshul Kamboj to Sai Sudharsan, Angling away from the off stump, a touch fuller, Sudharsan opens the face of the bat and guides it towards gully.
Anshul Kamboj to Sai Sudharsan, Pitches it up now, on middle, with pace. Sai Sudharsan is quick to bring his bat down and blocks it back to the bowler.
Anshul Kamboj to Shubman Gill, Back of a length, on off, Shubman Gill dabs it with soft hands to cover for a quick single.
Anshul Kamboj to Shubman Gill, Hard-length delivery, outside off, swinging away, Gill punches it to Akeal Hosein at cover.
Anshul Kamboj to Shubman Gill, Oh, that was not too far away from stumps! Kamboj delivers it on a good length, pitching it outside off and shaping it in. Shubman Gill skips down the track and looks to lash it through cover, but gets beaten. The ball flies just away from the top of the off pole.
- Shubman Gill 21 (12)
- Sai Sudharsan 9 (6)
Jamie Overton to Shubman Gill, Fuller now, around the pads of the batter. Shubman Gill clips it gently through square leg and gets an easy single. 17 runs from the first over of Jamie Overton!
Jamie Overton to Sai Sudharsan, On a hard length, just outside off, Sai Sudharsan dabs it to the right of backward point for a single.
Jamie Overton to Sai Sudharsan, SIX! That is just fantastic from Sudharsan! Short of a length, on leg and middle. Sai Sudharsan detects the bouncer, picks the length early and pulls it nonchalantly over deep backward square leg for a biggie.
Jamie Overton to Shubman Gill, Good-length delivery, on leg, Gill works it to mid on and gets across for a single.
Jamie Overton to Shubman Gill, SIX! Out of the park! Short of a length, angling in, on middle and leg. Shubman Gill stands tall and rolls his wrists to pull it aerially, over the fine leg fence for half a dozen.
Just one over for Akeal Hosein and he has been replaced by Jamie Overton.
Jamie Overton to Shubman Gill, Jamie Overton scoots from over the stumps and bowls fuller, on off. Shubman Gill swipes it to the right of the mid-wicket fielder for a couple of runs.
- Shubman Gill 11 (8)
- Sai Sudharsan 2 (4)
Anshul Kamboj to Shubman Gill, Back of a length and outside off, hit away square through the off side for a single. Just two runs off Kamboj's first over.
Anshul Kamboj to Shubman Gill, Another dot ball. Good length again, just outside off this time. Gill stays put and jams it out to the left of the bowler.
Anshul Kamboj to Shubman Gill, Oh, big shout from behind. Definitely two sounds but the bowler doesn't seem very excited. Good length on off, nips back in, Gill looks to tuck it leg side but the bat gets a bit stuck behind the front pad and he gets an inside edge onto the pads.
Anshul Kamboj to Sai Sudharsan, Dug in a bit shorter now and pushed wide of the off stump. Sudharsan reaches for it and cuts it to deep point for a single.
Anshul Kamboj to Sai Sudharsan, Back of a length, doesn't rise much and Sudharsan pulls it straight to mid-wicket.
Anshul Kamboj to Sai Sudharsan, Oh, that's done so much after leaving the batter. Nagging length on middle and off, nips away and Sudharsan ends up just backing out of his shot. The ball keeps moving away from the left-hander on its way to the keeper.
An expensive first over from Akeal Hosein. It will be Anshul Kamboj to share the attack.
- Shubman Gill 10 (5)
- Sai Sudharsan 1 (1)
Akeal Hosein to Shubman Gill, Much better from Akeal, but GT pick up 11 runs off the first over. Slower through the air, bowled around leg stump. Gill backs away again but ends up blocking it off.
Akeal Hosein to Shubman Gill, SIX! That is a shot and a half from Gill. Another arm-ball, fuller and angled into the swinging arc. Gill gets across to get inside the line and whacks it wide of long on for a huge six.
Akeal Hosein to Shubman Gill, FOUR! Off the outside half of the blade. Hosein holds his length well and angles it into the stumps. Shubman Gill backs away to hit it over covers but gets it wide of short third and the ball rolls away into the fence. Gurjapneet Singh is the fielder chasing after it but he ends up tumbling over the ropes and into the advertisement board. Thankfully, he is fine.
Akeal Hosein to Shubman Gill, Good length, darting back into the leg pole. Gill backs away to cut but gets more of an outside edge towards short third.
Akeal Hosein to Shubman Gill, A bit fuller, at 92 kph, drifted into the right-hander. Shubman Gill gets a big stride forward to defend.
Akeal Hosein to Sai Sudharsan, Tap and run. Bowled flatter, attacking the middle stump. Sudharsan stays back and compact, nudging it gently towards square leg for a quick single.
We are back for the chase. The umpires are back out in the middle and so are the players of Chennai Super Kings. It will be the usual pairing of Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan to open the batting for Gujarat Titans. CSK are going to start with spin as Akeal Hosein has been handed the new ball. Let's go...
... The Run Chase ...
A low-soring thriller incoming? Gujarat Titans will certainly be the happier of the two sides and a chase of 159 is considered pretty low these days. However, the CSK bowlers are coming off an impressive bowling performance in the last game and if the pitch stays as it is, GT might have to get their teeth in before going after the bowlers. Stay tuned as the run chase is up next.
Shivam Dube is up for a quick chat - On being asked how he is feeling about the target they have put up, Dube replied that the first ten overs didn't go according to their plan, but they came back well later in the inning and posted a formidable total on this track. About the pitch, Dube shares that the ball was not coming to the bat properly, and sometimes it got a good bounce, and other times it skidded low. Eoin Morgan asks him what the conversation was about between him and his skipper while batting. Dube says that they aimed to bat deep and score as many runs as possible on the board. On being asked whether he is disappointed for not getting many spinners against him, as he is very good at playing them, he replied that it doesn't matter to him, and he also feels that he is equally good against the pacers.
Super Kings had to huff and puff - A tale of two phases in terms of the batting for CSK and thankfully for them, the second 10 overs turned out to be excellent, allowing them half a chance at victory here. The pitch wasn't easy as the ball moved around a bit and there was some uneven bounce as well, but the batters threw away the wickets up top. Ruturaj Gaikwad was already under the pump with his own batting and had to go into a shell once those three early wickets fell. However, Gaikwad managed to fight his way through the rut and finished with an unbeaten 74 off 60 balls. Cameos from Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma and especially Jamie Overton at the death, helped CSK cross the 150-run mark.
The Titans go berserk in the Powerplay - Gujarat Titans are missing Prasidh Krishna for this game, but their frontline seamers - Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj - delivered big time in the first 6 overs. The duo bowled 3 overs each and had the opposition reeling at 28/3. The follow-up bowlers also did well to keep the runs in check and picked up a few wickets throughout the middle phase as well. However, Rashid Khan was brought in pretty late and bowled only one over for 21 runs, which did take some momentum away from the bowling team. Rabada was the pick of the bowlers as Siraj and Jason Holder bowled economically as well.
What a response from the hosts - A big flourish from the Super Kings to end their batting innings, but at the toss, the Titans would have certainly taken 159 runs as their target. However, GT had CSK reeling at 43/4 in the first 10 overs, and they ended up conceding a lot more than they would have liked. As many as 36 runs came in the last two overs, and that has certainly made it a bit more even a contest than we thought.
- Ruturaj Gaikwad 74 (60)
- Akeal Hosein 0 (0)
Manav Suthar to Ruturaj Gaikwad, FOUR! A boundary to end the innings! Manav Suthar bowls this quicker, full and outside off. Ruturaj Gaikwad stays put, extends his arms and muscles it down the ground, beating long off to his right for four more runs. Chennai Super Kings finish on 158/7.
Manav Suthar to Ruturaj Gaikwad, Darts this one in the blockhole, on middle, Ruturaj Gaikwad jams it out to long on but turns down the run.
Manav Suthar to Ruturaj Gaikwad, WIDE! Fires this one full but down the leg side, Ruturaj Gaikwad fails to paddle it away. Wided.
Manav Suthar to Ruturaj Gaikwad, FOUR! Fine use of the feet! Floated, full and around off. Ruturaj Gaikwad skips down the track to get to the pitch of it and thumps it to the long off fence for a boundary. Suthar under pressure now. Also, 150 up for CSK.
Manav Suthar to Ruturaj Gaikwad, Flatter, full and on middle, Ruturaj Gaikwad uses his feet and bunts it down the ground, to the left of long on for a brace.
Manav Suthar to Ruturaj Gaikwad, Slower through the air, full and around off, turns away. Ruturaj Gaikwad leaves it thinking it is a wide but it is not.
Manav Suthar to Ruturaj Gaikwad, FOUR! Good start to the over for CSK. A full toss, on middle and leg, Ruturaj Gaikwad gets down on one knee and sweeps it away to the deep square leg fence for a boundary.
Akeal Hosein is the new batter in, but for now, he will be at the non-striker's end. Also, it will be Manav Suthar (2-0-7-1) to bowl the final over for GT.
- Jamie Overton 18 (6)
- Ruturaj Gaikwad 60 (54)
Arshad Khan to Jamie Overton, OUT! TAKEN! End of a fine little cameo from Jamie Overton. Arshad Khan digs it into the surface, just outside off. Overton targets the straighter boundary and, using his bottom hand, tries to hit it like a tennis player's smash. He fails to get the elevation and the ball flies straight to long off, where Shahrukh Khan pouches it safely.
Arshad Khan to Jamie Overton, FOUR! Nothing is working for Arshad Khan! He goes fuller and on off, pace on this time. Jamie Overton cleverly shuffles across and scoops it well wide of short fine for four more runs.
Arshad Khan to Jamie Overton, FOUR! Poor delivery and rightly punished! Short and wide outside off, slower as well. Jamie Overton knows there is no protecting in the deep. He waits for it, reaches out and slaps it over backward point for another boundary.
Arshad Khan is under pressure here. He seems to be struggling with some cramps and has a long chat with the skipper regarding the bowling plans. The 12th man for CSK runs out to provide the batters some quick rehydration.
Arshad Khan to Jamie Overton, SIX! BOOM! Jamie Overton goes big now. Short of a length and on middle, not short enough to trouble the batter. Overton backs away a bit, climbs onto it and powers it over the bowler's head for a biggie.
Arshad Khan to Jamie Overton, FOUR! Crucial runs! Pitched up and on off, Jamie Overton gets under it and lofts it with a straight bat wide of mid off. Shubman Gill dives to his left and tries to grab it with his outstretched hand, but the ball touches his fingertips and rolls behind to the fence for a boundary.
A slight halt in the play as Arshad Khan seems to be struggling with his fitness. The physio has a look and thankfully, Arshad is fine to continue.
Arshad Khan to Jamie Overton, WIDE! Tries the slower bouncer, but bowls it a bit too outside off, Jamie Overton fails to reach out for it. Arshad also falls over on his follow-through and looks like he has cramped up here.
Arshad Khan to Jamie Overton, WIDE! Full again but down the leg side, Jamie Overton fails to make any contact. Called a wide.
