Results in brief: Gujarat Titans (162/2 in 16.4 ovs) beat Chennai Super Kings (158/7 in 20 ovs) by 8 wickets at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
Struggling Chennai Super Kings were unable to maintain their best in destroying Mumbai Indians earlier this week after they faltered at home against Gujarat Titans on Sunday, April 26. In an afternoon match under the blazing sun in Chepauk, CSK were destroyed by Shubman Gill’s GT who looked desperate to get back to winning ways.
Stars drew level with Gujarat on Sunday when they won the toss at Chepauk. Defying conventional wisdom in the day’s play, Shubman Gill opted to take the first bite in the sweltering Chennai heat. The decision appeared to be dictated by the logic that the grounds staff had been watering the pitch more than usual in fear of the pitch drying out due to excessive heat.
CSK vs GT, IPL 2026: Highlights | Scorecard
The GT’s gamble paid off immediately, as the pitch not only looked like a two-course, but also exhibited variable bounce. Good length and just short or good length deliveries put CSK’s top order in trouble and they failed to reach an easy boundary in the overs.
GT bowlers started with full length balls, but went back to good length balls and occasionally short balls when they realized that some balls were sticking to the surface while others were sliding. This confusing nature of the pitch resulted in three powerplay goals for GT.
CSK lost Sanju Samson, Sarfaraz Khan and Urvil Patel and ended up scoring just 28 runs.
After Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj used the humidity on the pitch to best effect, GT spinner Manav Suthar got rid of Dewald Brevis in the 9th over. Brevis’ goal was difficult. Brevis was trying to hit a blind six and ended up skipping the ball which fell into the safe hands of Shubman Gill standing at cover.
Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad has perhaps struggled the most in the IPL, picking up just 18 runs in the first 10 overs. Gaikwad’s 18 runs came off 27 balls, through no fault of his own. From the same spot on the court, some balls stayed low, some bounced up, some slid while others gripped.
It took a sharp bouncer from Gujarat’s fourth seamer Arshad Khan to wake up Ruturaj.
Arshad’s first ball in the 13th over hit Rahane high on the shoulder to trigger a medical break. Gaikwad then threw caution to the wind and slammed two sixes in the next three balls.
CSK, who took 12 overs to cross the 50-run mark (longest in IPL history), were suddenly looking to knock things out of the park.
Gaikwad combined with Shivam Dube to add 59 off 43 balls before Dube’s stumps were uprooted by Arshad Khan. This phase of the game also saw an absolute collapse in the field from GT where Jos Buttler and Rashid Khan dropped catches.
Rashid didn’t really bask in the glory on Sunday, first giving away 21 runs in his first over. Later in the 18th over, Rashid and Manav Suthar misjudged a high catch at deep mid-wicket and waited for each other to come to complete the catch.
CSK took their chances, took their luck and finished with 158 runs on the board, led by Ruturaj Gaikwad’s fighting 74* from 60 balls.
GT USE A HEAVY DUTY ROLLER
ČSK had a chance if the pitch behaved the same in the second innings. But Gujarat used a heavy roller before coming into bat, which equaled a nasty bounce of the wicket.
Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan started briskly, well, as briskly as they can be, adding 55 runs in the over. Shubman was the first to fall thanks to some excellent gloves from Sanju Samson who took the bails off in a flash while collecting a wide ball down the leg side from Noor Ahmad.
But Shubman’s wicket did little to dent GT’s momentum as Sai Sudharsan kept his cool and guided the chase with a solid 87 off 46 balls. However, Sudharsan’s partner at the crease, Jos Buttler, fought mightily as the effects of the heavy war began to wear off after the 10-over mark.
However, CSK simply did not have enough runs on the board to challenge GT, who reached the target in 16.4 overs, helping them snap their two-match losing streak. CSK fans started leaving the ground around the 12th over in pursuit as the hosts died a slow death at the Chennai ground on Sunday.
The win saw GT stay close to the top four positions and not disappear even in the mid-table jam, while CSK were once again left guessing on home conditions that were expected to be bat-friendly throughout the season.
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– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
26 Apr 2026 21:24 IST
