David Miller and Rashid Khan help Gujarat Titans win their second match in four days

With Hardik Pandya injured, stand-in captain Rashid Khan also stepped up to fulfill his duties as a batsman and scored a fast 40 off 21 runs that made all the difference in the death overs.

Ruturaj Gaikwad impresses with his batting

Chennai Super Kings were asked to bat first after the Gujarat Titans won the toss. The first wicket fell early for Chennai as Mohammed Shami took out Robin Uthappa in the third over for only 3 runs.

Coming at no. 3, Moeen Ali followed Uthappa and returned to the pavilion quickly after being bowled by Alzarri Joseph for a single run in the sixth over. 

After losing 2 wickets for only 32 runs, Ambati Rayudu helped Ruturaj Gaikwad stabilize Chennai’s innings. The duo added 92 runs onto the scoreboard for an incredible 3rd wicket stand.

However, things went downwards after their partnership was broken in the 15th over as Ambati Rayudu was caught at a deep point by Vijay Shankar, calling an end to his much-needed knock of 46 runs.

Gaikwad, who played the lead role in Chennai innings, carefully mixed passion with aggression and completed his first 50 of this season with the help of 5 fours and 5 sixes. Gaikwad’s innings came to an end in the 17th over when Abhinav Manohar caught him at deep square leg.

After their quintessential 3rd wicket partnership, Chennai added only 45 runs to the scoreboard in the death overs, which formed the major factor in Gujarat’s win.

The David Miller shows seals the win for the Gujarat Titans

Gujarat bowlers completed their part of the bargain, and it was now up to the batsman to hold their own. However, things looked grim as Chennai’s bowling department was able to clinch 3 wickets in the powerplay for just 16 runs.

Gujarat’s trademark batsman Shubman Gill was the first prey. He departed to the pavilion on a golden duck after getting caught at cover-point by Robin Uthappa. Then Vijay Shankar was also quick to follow and got caught by former captain M.S. Dhoni with no runs to his name.

The Gujarat Titans found some space after David Miller reached the pitch and formed a steady partnership with Wriddhiman Saha, taking Gujarat’s score from 16/3 to 48 runs in 8 overs. However, Wriddhiman Saha also departed to the pavilion at the end of the over scoring 11 runs.

The David Miller show started after Wriddhiman Saha’s dismissal as the South African started hitting bowlers indifferently. David Miller scored an unbeaten 94 runs off 51 balls, which included 8 fours and 6 sixes. Complemented by stand-in captain Rashid Khan’s 40 off 21 balls, which also included 3 sixes off of Chris Jordan, David Miller was able to wrap things up with 1 ball to spare.

Gujarat Titans won the match by 3 wickets to remain on the top of the table. The Titans will now look to build on their winning streak against Kolkata Knight Riders on 23rd April. At the same time, the Chennai Super Kings will try to find their second break against another bottom-of-the-league team, Mumbai Indians, on the 21st of April.