CSK vs GT, IPL 2023 Final Highlights: Jadeja's last ball boundary helps Chennai win 5th title in thriller

They walk out to take a look at the pitch and the outfield. Well, the first place that the umpires walk to is that wet pitch at the edge of the square. Pandya tries running over it and there is a roller going up and down that surface. Ashish Nehra is also there, as is Stephen Fleming, and the former just rubs his foot on that pitch once before walking off shaking his head. All parts of the field is looking good except for that one. Problem is that the problematic pitch is looking quite dangerous.

Not the main pitch, that looks pristine. It is the one at the edge of the square that still needs looking after. But the rest of the outfield seems good to go.

Remember that cup of coffee I spoke about earlier? Go on, make yourself another. In fact get yourself some maggi with a whole lot of stuff put in it. Cook a storm in your kitchen. We are going to be here for a few more hours at the very least. 

Well the umpires are back out there for their inspection and even before they properly reach the pitches, Pandya is all over them. Very animated conversation with them and in the end the umpires say something to him, he gives a double thumbs up which is also animated, and walks off. Then he is seeing having a talk with Javagal Srinath, who seems to pacifying him almost.

It is that sodden practice pitch that they are concentrating on. A lot of sawdust and sand has been thrown on it but it remains quite slushy. The umpires, meanwhile slowly start walking out.

While most of the crowd in the lower stands ran upstairs seeking shelter, there was quite a sizeable who just stood where they danced away in the showers. Well, they have all most probably taken leave from work to be here, the stadium has been full right from the time the toss went up. Who wouldn't like to be at the Motera stadium on a rainy Monday evening as opposed to being on your way home completely soaked.

15 minutes to go for that inspection, lots of activity on the field now. A lot of GT players are out there at the moment warming up and talking away with each other. All good signs at the moment. 

That is the latest news from the middle now. Meanwhile, AB de Villiers, Brett Lee and Scott Styris seemed to be in absolute disbelief when it was shown that the par score for CSK at the end of the fifth over at the moment would be 43/0. Can't blame them but well, that's life in the rain and that is probably one of the reasons why Dhoni decided to bowl first. He probably even asked the openers to get at least one boundary in the first four odd balls as there could be a big rain delay. Plans within plans within plans within plans within… 

This is going to take time though. One of those practice pitches are absolutely sodden and the ground staff are trying their next to sponge the water out of it. The umpires are speaking to the pitch curator meanwhile and we can see Ambati Rayudu out there alongwith some CSK and GT coaching staff.

Well then, the downpour is not too bad at the moment, the outfield was uncovered and the drainage here is pretty good. Even then, we can expected about 20-30 minutes for it to be adequately mopped up and that process itself can be started only after it properly stops raining. Go get yourself a cup of coffee or something, we could be here for a while.

It's rainy and windy and so the ground staff are having to really break their backs in trying to keep those covers down. Entire covers just flying off, ballooning up and spraying water everywhere in the process.

It's pouring down all of a sudden, the ground staff run on to the field as the players and umpires run off it. This is no drizzle, it is properly barreling down now. CSK are 4/0 after 0.3 overs.

Length ball from Shami for the third ball of the first and Gaikwad opens the face of the bat to send it between point and backward point.

The rain stops and the covers are off. The GT players slowly walk out while the CSK openers are in their kit in the dugout.

And there are the rain drops. Just as we thought he second innings is about to start, drizzles make an appearance. Some thunders rumbling, lightning flashing. Let's hope all this just passes by quickly.

The BCCI seemed to have decided to bring in rappers for extra entertainment. It was King who squeezed in a performance 10 minutes before the toss, now Divine belts out his hits at a dazzling Motera stadium in the mid-innings break.

This is the fourth highest score of all-time in an IPL final. The top three all put up 50-plus partnerships for GT, just the second time this has happened in an IPL after the CSK vs RR final in 2021. Saha and Gill put up an opening stand of 67 off 42 balls, Saha and Sudharsan then put up 64 off 42 for the second after which Sudharsan and Pandya put up 81 runs off 33 balls for the third wicket.

Pathirana has ended that over quite well. Dismisses Rashid Khan off the last ball of the innings. All eyes were on Gill but the names that have shone out are Saha first and then, especially, Sudharsan. Pandya ends unbeaten on 21 off 12.

No century but who cares, this is one of the all-time great innings in IPL finals. He is struck in front of middle stump and goes for the review. Three reds and he is gone for 96 off 47.

>Second ball is full on the stumps, Sai Sudharsan slogs sweeps it over long on. This whole innings is a superlative.

Sudharsan launches the first ball of the last over above extra cover and reaches 90 in 45!

200 up for GT with that shot and we are into the last over of the innings now.

Deshpande goes full outside off for the first ball of the 19th, Pandya won't miss that one. He gets unde it and smashes it over extra cover.

Sudharsan has raced to 76 off 40, Pandya is on 2 off 3. Just one run off the last ball from Pandya and he wasn't too happy with that. The sky is the limit for Sudharsan and GT though at the moment.

The second ball of the 17th is slapped away between extra cover and mid off. The third is sent past mid-off, this time to that fielder's left, and the fourth is belted past cover.