Ahmedabad: Gujarat skipper Hardik Pandya said it was difficult to make decisions due to the newly introduced impact player rule in the 16th season of IPL. Hardik Pandya’s reaction after the opening match against Chennai Super Kings.
“Due to the Impact Player Act, decision-making has become difficult. Although there are many options, a batsman only needs to bowl a few overs. We ourselves put the team in a big trouble. But Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan won. I am happy to have beaten Chennai, who at one point felt that they would hit 200. Rashid Khan is a great asset to the team. Along with taking wickets, runs are also found at the tail end. But my shot and Shubman Gill’s shot was wasted and became a wicket. We have to be more responsible in the next match and be careful not to put pressure on the tail end,” said Hardik Pandya after the match.
Gujarat Titans got their first win of the 16th season of IPL. Defending champions Gujarat defeated Chennai Super Kings by 5 wickets. Gujarat overcame Chennai’s 178 runs for the loss of five wickets with 4 balls to spare. Wriddhiman Saha (25 off 16 balls) gave a lightning start while Shubman Gill once again proved his class with 63 off 36 balls. Vijay Shankar (27 off 21 balls), Rahul Tewatia (15* off 14 balls) and Rashid Khan (10* off 3 balls) led Gujarat to victory. Rashid Khan scored 10 runs in three balls and took two wickets for 26. Score: Chennai- 178/7 (20), Gujarat- 182/5 (19.2).
Chennai Super Kings, who lost the toss and had to bat first, scored 178 runs for 7 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Opener Ruturaj Gaekwad’s 92 off 50 balls with four fours and nine sixes gave Chennai a safe score. But while Devon Conway(1), Moeen Ali(23), Ben Stokes(7), Ambati Rayudu(12) and Ravindra Jadeja(1) all faded, Shami, Rashid and Alzari took two wickets each and Little did not allow CSK to reach 200. MS Dhoni scored 14 runs in 7 balls including a six and excited the fans.
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Last Updated Apr 1, 2023, 7:45 AM IST