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

They walk out along a path flanked by fireworks, which seems to startle Hardik Pandya as they went off. MS Dhoni meanwhile, walked through as if it was the most boring few metres to walk through. A nice microcosm of the contrasting personalities of the two captains and yet, there are so many similiarities in the way they lead their teams.

Simon Doull & Matthew Hayden: "We are playing on the Center pitch. The dimensions are as follows: 66-meter square boundaries and 74 meters downtown. It is a bit cooler than yesterday. I think that's going to help the ball swing around a bit. Not much has changed since yesterday. If anything, remember last night we had those grass clippings that were rolled in. Maybe they've been removed a little bit which could bring in the slow-pace bowlers, especially on a good length where guys like Mohit hit it hard, and take the pace off. We have got quality spinners in both sides. Looks like 180 can be a par score here. Whatever happens though, you have to have a bat first, especially CSK"

CSK are bowling first and so Shivam Dube is sitting out. There is almost no doubt that he will come in, possibly for Matheesha Pathirana, when CSK bat. For GT, Josh Littler is out but he will come in when they bowl later in the night.

CSK: Shivam Dube, Mitch Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Akash Singh

GT: Josh Little, Odean Smith, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, R Sai Kishore

Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya(c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Deepak Chahar, Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana

"Would've bowled first as well, but my heart wanted to bat so I don't mind losing the toss. We spoke that it is something out of our control (weather). Whichever team plays better will have their hands on the trophy. I like keeping the boys cool, and they repay me. It's a flat track (what he makes of the pitch?). Same team."

“We'll bowl first with the rain forecast being around. Yesterday we were in the dressing room. As a cricketer you always want to play. It was the crowd that suffered the most. Hopefully we can entertain them. Pitch has been under cover for a long time, but throughout the tournament the pitch has behaved well over here. Quite happy it will be a 20-over game we'll be playing. Serves justice to the tournament like this. Same team.”

MS Dhoni has chosen to bowl first. 

Ravi Shasrtri makes his voice boom around the colossal stadium. MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya are at the ready with referee Javagal Srinath.

Gujarat Titans are looking to become the third team since CSK themselves and Mumbai Indians to successfully defend an IPL title. They would also become the first team ever to win the title in their first two seasons in the tournament. CSK, meanwhile, are looking to equal MI's record of six IPL titles.

Or the closing ceremony of the tournament? Well, call it whatever you want but it is underway at the stadium. For now it is King entertaining the crowd. He is not out on the field though, rather on a stage built between the stands. 

The cut-off time for a full game to take place is 9.35pm local.

For a five-five, the officials can wait till 12.06am before starting play.

The one last option is determining the winner via a Super Over shootout, but the cut-off time for that is 1am.

If rain doesn't allow any play tonight too, then Gujarat Titans will be declared champions on account of topping the points table in the league phase.

It is now officially overcast in Ahmedabad with just under an hour to go for the toss. As stated earlier, there is intermittent rain forecast throughout the evening but that is unlikely to be the kind that causes significant stoppages to the match. 

Shubman Gill has gone into overdrive in the latter stages of this tournament. He has scored three centuries in his last four matches and his run tally of 851 runs this season is the most by any Indian since Virat Kohli's 973 from the 2016 season. Kohli's run tally that season is the most by any player in the history of the IPL and his performance that season has gained legendary status. But Gill is now 123 runs away from that record and that is a score that he can very well achieve today considering the kind of form he is in.

Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya(c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami, Joshua Little, Srikar Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Odean Smith, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Dasun Shanaka, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, Pradeep Sangwan, Matthew Wade, Abhinav Manohar, Alzarri Joseph, Urvil Patel, Yash Dayal

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Akash Singh, Bhagath Varma, Nishant Sindhu, RS Hangargekar, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Sisanda Magala, Dwaine Pretorius, Ben Stokes 

The kind of hype that was there for Ben Stokes before the start of the season at the Chepauk is seldom seen for any player apart from the royalty of that team like Dhoni, or Suresh Raina when he used to play or Ravindra Jadeja. He came into the season with an injury and it was clear that he won't be able to bowl much but he ended up pretty much being a bystander throughout the season. Stokes could play just two games in which he made no mark with bat or ball. Then there was the injuries to Sisanda Magala, Mukesh Choudhary, Simarjeet Singh and Deepak Chahar and one does get the picture of CSK limping through somehow. But that was hardly the case, the likes of Tushar Deshpande stepped up and made it look like CSK don't have any injury troubles in the pace department. Chahar made a succesfull return towards the end of the league and their spin attack led by Jadeja remains as lethal as any.

CSK had a slightly more bumpy road to the final compared to GT and they arguably had to jump past more obstacles related to injuries to their star players, but here they are.  A little period towards the end of April and in the first week of may where they got just one point in three matches is what hurt them the most. But they then lost just one match for the rest of the league stage and qualified for the playoffs by thrashing Delhi Capitals by 77 runs. 

Right, let's refresh our memories a bit, shall we? Gujarat Titans went about the league stage showing that last season was no fluke, they really are a force to be reckoned with. They won 10 and lost four, were the first team to confirm a place for themselves in the playoffs and did it all on a canter. However, they then met CSK, arguably the only team who were efficient as they were towards the end of the league stage and for once, Hardik Pandya's side was thoroughly outplayed. But then came that match against Mumbai Indians in the second Qualifier, and THAT innings from Shubman Gill and GT made it to the final with a comprehensive win over the five-time champions.

Then look away CSK fans because you won't like this. The rule is that if the final gets washed out on the reserve day as well, then the team that finished higher on the league table will be declared champions. That would be Gujarat Titans, who finished, CSK had finished second. 

Well the murmur is that there could be rain during the match itself. But at the same time, Accuweather says that it will be slightly cloudy during the evening but nothing more. Let's hope they have it right. 

Both GT and CSK have faced each other four times in IPL history, with the former leading 3-1. Hopefully the weather gods will have mercy and we will see a full T20 match.

CSK: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Akash Singh, Bhagath Varma, Nishant Sindhu, RS Hangargekar, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Sisanda Magala, Dwaine Pretorius, Ben Stokes

GT: Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya(c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami, Joshua Little, Srikar Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Odean Smith, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Dasun Shanaka, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, Pradeep Sangwan, Matthew Wade, Abhinav Manohar, Alzarri Joseph, Urvil Patel, Yash Dayal

Hello and good afternoon everyone! Welcome to our live coverage of today's IPL 2023 final between CSK and GT, straight from Ahmedabad. Stay tuned folks!