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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.
- Dewald Brevis 0 (2)
- Ruturaj Gaikwad 11 (9)
Mohammed Siraj to Dewald Brevis, Goes fuller and on middle, Dewald Brevis knocks it towards mid on. Just one run and a wicket off Siraj's third over.
Mohammed Siraj to Dewald Brevis, Mohammed Siraj welcomes Dewald Brevis with a fiery bouncer, on middle. Brevis ducks under it.
The Super Kings are in tatters right now, and out walks Dewald Brevis to bat at number 5.
Mohammed Siraj to Sarfaraz Khan, OUT! CAUGHT! CSK's Impact Sub goes without making any impact. It's Mohammed Siraj's turn now to bowl a well-directed bumper, and he too gets some help from the deck. Sarfaraz Khan, looking to put pressure on the bowler, decides to take it on and goes for the pull shot. However, just like the previous dismissals, the extra bounce does the trick. It kisses the outer half of the bat and flies high in the air behind the stumps, where Jos Buttler calls for it, moves to his left, and takes a dolly. Golden duck for Sarfaraz and CSK are 26/3 now.
Mohammed Siraj to Ruturaj Gaikwad, Length again, on middle, Ruturaj Gaikwad nudges it through mid-wicket for a single.
Mohammed Siraj to Ruturaj Gaikwad, On a length and around off, Ruturaj Gaikwad strides out and pushes it to cover-point.
Mohammed Siraj to Ruturaj Gaikwad, Confident appeal from Siraj, but once again the umpire is unsatisfied. Good-length delivery, pitching it on middle and leg, angling in sharply. Ruturaj Gaikwad looks to clip it but misses and gets thumped on his pad.
Urvil Patel is substituted by Sarfaraz Khan
Kagiso Rabada seems to have finally found some reward for his persistence throughout this season. Well, CSK have been forced to use their Impact Sub after just 4 overs. Sarfaraz Khan replaces Urvil Patel in the lineup and walks out to bat now as well. This means CSK won't have the cushion of an extra out-and-out bowler in the second innings.
- Urvil Patel 4 (3)
- Ruturaj Gaikwad 10 (6)
Kagiso Rabada to Urvil Patel, OUT! TAKEN! Kagiso Rabada with the double strike and CSK are in early trouble now. He once again bangs this into the pitch, on middle, takes off a bit. Urvil Patel looks to give charge and pull it away but is rushed as the ball gets big on him. It takes the top edge and loops straight up in the air over the bowler's head, as Jason Holder from mid on runs to his left and takes a good catch.
Kagiso Rabada to Urvil Patel, FOUR! Some aggressive intent now! Full-length delivery, pitching it on the stumps and angling it in. Urvil Patel charges down the track and drills it hard toward the left of the mid off fielder for four runs. The ball goes like a tracer bullet, and Patel is off the mark.
Kagiso Rabada to Urvil Patel, Pitches it up this time, on the fifth stump. Urvil Patel prods and pushes it to short extra cover.
An early wicket for the Titans, and it is a big one as well. Urvil Patel is the batter who walks in at number 3 for CSK today.
Kagiso Rabada to Sanju Samson, OUT! EDGED AND GONE! The edge has finally been found, and Sanju Samson departs cheaply. Kagiso Rabada bends his back and hits the deck hard at 148.2 kph, a bit outside off, and once again gets extra bounce off the deck. Samson sees this as a scoring opportunity and throws his hands at it but only manages to get a thin outside edge behind, where Jos Buttler makes no mistake.
Kagiso Rabada to Sanju Samson, Good length, outside off, Sanju Samson pushes at it, but gets it from the inner part of his bat to mid-wicket.
Kagiso Rabada to Sanju Samson, That's some bounce off the deck! Rabada delivers it on the back of a good length. Sanju Samson understands the radar and tries to heave it off, over the mid-wicket region, but the ball gets some assistance from the track and beats the top edge of the willow.
- Ruturaj Gaikwad 10 (6)
- Sanju Samson 11 (12)
Mohammed Siraj to Ruturaj Gaikwad, Short of a length, outside off, Ruturaj Gaikwad slices it to deep backward point and collects a couple of runs.
Mohammed Siraj to Ruturaj Gaikwad, Angling in now, on a good length, pitching on middle. Ruturaj Gaikwad misses his flick and wears it on the upper part of the front pad. Appeal from Siraj for LBW, but the umpire shakes his head.
Mohammed Siraj to Ruturaj Gaikwad, On a nagging length, into the corridor of uncertainty. Ruturaj Gaikwad rocks back and dabs it to cover.
Mohammed Siraj to Ruturaj Gaikwad, Back of a length, around off, Ruturaj Gaikwad pats it to cover.
Mohammed Siraj to Ruturaj Gaikwad, FOUR! Easy pickings! Siraj errs in line and serves this full but way down the leg side. Ruturaj Gaikwad just has to get some bat on it and glances it wide of short fine for another boundary.
Mohammed Siraj to Ruturaj Gaikwad, FOUR! What a way to get off the mark! Mohammed Siraj once again bowls just outside off, on back of a good length. Ruturaj Gaikwad presses on his front foot and just pushes it into the gap between cover and extra cover for four runs.
- Sanju Samson 11 (12)
- Ruturaj Gaikwad 0 (0)
Kagiso Rabada to Sanju Samson, Much better! Hard length and on off, nips back in a bit, Sanju Samson keeps it out to the off side.
Kagiso Rabada to Sanju Samson, FOUR! Fine shot! Kagiso Rabada bangs this one into the pitch, just outside off. Sanju Samson transfers his weight to his back hip, extends his arms and swats it over mid off for another boundary. Rabada has a surprised look on his face as to how Sanju managed to hit that there.
Kagiso Rabada to Sanju Samson, Good length and on off, around 145 clicks. Sanju Samson gets late on the push and the ball goes off the inside edge wide of fine leg. Mohammed Siraj moves to his right from deep backward square leg and makes a good stop. Two taken.
Kagiso Rabada to Sanju Samson, Pitched up and on middle, shaping in, Sanju Samson miscues his drive off the bottom edge towards mid on.
Kagiso Rabada to Sanju Samson, FOUR! Up and over! Short of a length and outside off once again. Sanju Samson is not going to miss out twice. He frees his arms and with a vertical bat crunches it over cover-point for the first boundary of the match. He also brings up 5000 IPL runs.
Kagiso Rabada to Sanju Samson, Play and a miss! Kagiso Rabada begins with a back-of-a-length delivery, outside off, gets some extra bounce as well. Sanju Samson slashes hard at it but fails to connect.
A watchful start from Sanju Samson against Mohammed Siraj. It will be Kagiso Rabada to start proceedings from the other end.
- Sanju Samson 1 (6)
- Ruturaj Gaikwad 0 (0)
Mohammed Siraj to Sanju Samson, CSK are finally underway! Short of a length and around off, Sanju Samson opens the face of his bat and guides it through backward point for a single. Just one run off the first over.
Mohammed Siraj to Sanju Samson, On a length and on middle, angles in, Sanju Samson gets cramped up and stabs it down the pitch.
Mohammed Siraj to Sanju Samson, And again! Siraj serves this a bit fuller and on middle and off, hits the deck and moves away from the batter. Sanju Samson has a tentative poke but the ball zips past the outside edge again. Siraj has done everything but find the edge.
Mohammed Siraj to Sanju Samson, Excellent bowling! Hits the length hard and on the fourth stump line, shaping away again. Sanju Samson tries to play it from the crease but gets beaten on the outside edge.
Mohammed Siraj to Sanju Samson, Back of a length and on middle and leg, Sanju Samson stays back and pats it in front of short mid-wicket.
Mohammed Siraj to Sanju Samson, A beauty to start with! Mohammed Siraj lands this on a good length and in that channel outside off, gets it to shape away with bounce. Sanju Samson plays well inside the line of it as the ball goes through to the keeper.
We are all set to kick off Super Sunday! The whistles are away from the Yellow Army as the two umpires make their way out to the middle. Shubman Gill has a few words with his troops as the GT players spread out onto the field of play as well. The duo of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson is set to open the innings for CSK. Mohammed Siraj is seen marking his run-up, and he will start proceedings with the ball. Let's play...
Gujarat Titans Impact subs: Rahul Tewatia, Anuj Rawat, Glenn Phillips, Kulwant Khejroliya, Nishant Sindhu
Chennai Super Kings Impact subs: Sarfaraz Khan, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Veer, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Matthew Short
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Urvil Patel, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh
Impact Player options for GT - Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Kulwant Khejroliya, Nishant Sindhu, and Rahul Tewatia.
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI) - Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan (In for Prasidh Krishna), Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, and Manav Suthar (In for Rahul Tewatia).
Impact Player options for CSK - Sarfaraz Khan, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Veer, Ramakrishna Ghosh, and Matthew Short.
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI) - Sanju Samson (WK), Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Urvil Patel (In for Sarfaraz Khan), Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein (In for Mukesh Choudhary), Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, and Gurjapneet Singh.
The skipper of Chennai Super Kings - Ruturaj Gaikwad says that the pitch looks a bit on the drier side and they don't mind batting first here. Adds that the confidence is high, but they don't want to get ahead of themselves and will look to put up a good total on the board. Feels that they need to get better in a few things, and on his own form, he says that as long as the job is getting done, he's happy, but if he gets a good start, he does want to go on and get a big score. Ends by informing that they have one change in the side as Urvil Patel comes in.
The captain of Gujarat Titans - Shubhman Gill says that it looks like a good wicket and on a surface like this, you want to know what you will be chasing. Adds that the heat is not that bad. Mentions that they have been doing most of the things right but it is all about winning the small moments. Gill shares that they are leaking too many runs in the middle overs and they need to hit their lengths right. Says that if the wicket is good, you have to aim 70-80 runs in the Powerplay but if it is a 170-180 pitch, you have to assess the conditions and play accordingly as well. Informs that Arshad Khan is back in the team.
“He’s progressing well. He’s on the road to recovery and doing everything that’s being asked of him,” Fleming said, without offering a clear timeline for his comeback.
However, reports suggest this is not due to fitness concerns. According to Indian Express, Dhoni is match-ready but has deliberately delayed his comeback to avoid disrupting a settled team combination that has started to deliver results.
“He’s a young captain who’s working himself into the role. I know he’s getting a lot of heat from outside, but within he’s got a lot of support and he’s very well respected within the side, and that will continue.”
On the other hand, GT, led by Shubman Gill, are still searching for consistency. While they possess a strong squad on paper, their performances have fluctuated, making this clash crucial for regaining momentum. The Chepauk pitch is expected to assist spinners, which could tilt the balance slightly in CSK’s favor. With both teams hovering around the mid-table region, this game could play a pivotal role in shaping their playoff ambitions.
With a black-soil pitch expected - similar to the previous home game against Kolkata Knight Riders - the contest could hinge on how GT’s top order handles CSK’s disciplined attack.
The lack of contributions from GT’s middle order only adds to the burden on Gill, Sudharsan and Buttler to deliver.
