The defending champs Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is be clashing with the new contestants Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 62nd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The 19-year-old Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana, who is important for CSK, packed away his maiden IPL wicket by dismissing young GT opener, Shubman Gill.
CSK skipper, MS Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat initially referring to the heat intensity in Mumbai. Matheesha Pathirana made his IPL debut in CSK’s second-last IPL 2022 game and packed away a wicket on his most memorable ball. He excused Gill on the primary chunk of the eighth over and the GT opener had the option to score just 18 runs off 17 balls, including 3 fours.
Matheesha Pathirana bowled a full-length delivery in the center that foxed the GT opener as Gill was exceptionally late in bringing his bat down for the flick and the ball went past the bat to crash onto the cushion and the on-field umpire raised the finger. Gill in a split second chose to take a survey of the decision yet the snicko affirmed that there was a cushion first and there were three reds, which constrained Shubman Gill to stroll back to the dugout.
Here is the video of the excusal taken by Matheesha Pathirana:
While batting first, CSK batsmen failed to do much against the good-looking GTT bowling attack. In the powerplay, CSK lost an early wicket of Devon Conway and they scored 47/1. Sai Kishore got GT with a second breakthrough by dismissing all-rounder Moeen Ali for 21 in the 9th over.
Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad completed his half-century knock in 44 balls, including hitting 4 fours and one six and this was his 10th fifty in the IPL. Gaikwad’s 49-ball 53 runs knock at a very slow strike rate but he eventually perished on the last ball of the 16th over, which was bowled by Rashid Khan. After that, CSK kept batting extremely slow and they were only able to score 133/5.
That’s exactly the sort of skill that GT has been able to make the most of in a season where opposition quicks have resorted to hitting the deck hard and using the bounce early in the innings when there’s some spice on the surface. It’s the phase and the kind of bowling that Saha has done well against – taking on bowlers like Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Jasprit Bumrah, and Riley Meredith. On Sunday, Saha finished with 53 off 49 – but 37 of those came in 23 deliveries in the PowerPlay where he went after Mukesh Choudhary and Simarjeet Singh – two of CSK’s bright spots in a forgettable season.
“The pitch was a bit slow. The oddball was turning, so initially I wanted to take my chances against the pacers. I see myself as an aggressive player in the power play. My strength has been playing the sweep and stepping out and hitting, so that’s what I’ve been doing,” Saha said after the game.
It was the bowlers who set the game up for the Titans on Sunday, but Saha can take part of the accolades for how easy the paltry chase turned out to be, to secure a confirmed top-two finish for the side. Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals – two of the strongest contenders to secure the vacant Q1 spot – come armed with an enviable fast bowling arsenal, adding further value to Saha’s early impetus when the table-toppers look to go the distance.
Shubman Gill and Saha made 59 for the opening wicket in the first seven overs to lay the platform for the chase. Matheesha Pathirana dismissed Gill for 18 off 17 but Saha’s assault from the other end meant GT didn’t quite feel the pinch. Matthew Wade made 20 off 15 but fell to Moeen in the 12th while Pandya managed just seven as GT slipped to 100 for 3 in 13.1 overs. There, however, was no panic with the asking rate below six and GT got over the line eventually.
Brief scores: Chennai Supers Kings batting first 133/5 in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 53; Mohammed Shami 2-19) lost to Gujarat Titans 137/3 in 19.1 overs (Wriddhiman Saha 67*) by seven wickets.
