Miller, Rashid propel Gujarat to 3-wkt win over CSK
David Miller, Rashid Khan
Pune: David Miller's blitzkrieg unbeaten 94 off 51 balls and Rashid Khan's 40 off 21 balls powered Gujarat Titans to 3-wicket win against Chennai Super Kings in an IPL 2022 match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium, here on Sunday. Gujarat consolidated their lead at top with five wins out of 6 games played.
Earlier, opener Ruturaj Gaikwad returned to run-scoring with an excellent half-century (73 off 48) and helped Chennai post 169-5 against Gujarat.
Apart from Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu (46 off 31) played a solid knock and both batters stitched a crucial partnership of 92 runs off 56 balls for the third wicket. Lower down the order, Ravindra Jadeja (22 off 12) and Shivam Dube (19 off 17) also made valuable contributions with the bat for CSK.
Invited to bat first, CSK didn't have a great start as Mohammed Shami struck in the third over of the innings to dismiss Uthappa, who tried to play across the line but was struck on the back leg. The onfield umpire ruled in favour of the batter but a successful review from Gujarat ended Uthappa's stay for 3 off 10.
However, Gaikwad targeted the inexperienced Dayal in the fourth over and hit him for a six and a four. But, on the other end, Moeen Ali didn't seem in touch as his struggle at the crease was ended by Alzarri Joseph.
From there on, a well-set Gaikwad and new batter Rayudu kept the scoreboard ticking with constant strike rotation and timely boundaries to take CSK to 66/2 after 10 overs.
After spending enough time on the pitch, both Gaikwad and Rayudu decided to free their arms and took Gujarat bowlers to the cleaners by smashing boundaries and sixes all across the ground, taking the score to 124 after 14 overs. During the process, Gaikwad also brought his first half-century of the season in 37 balls.
Brief scores: Chennai Super Kings 169-5 in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 73, Ambati Rayudu 46; Alzarri Joseph 2/34) vs Gujarat Titans 170/7 in 19.5 overs (David Miller 94 not out, Rashid Khan 40, Dwayne Bravo 3/23, Maheesh Theekshana 2/24).