Last Updated on 1 year by Charbel Coorey
Twitter reactions – Jadeja hits 4 and 6 to seal fifth title for CSK & MSD | Reactions to CSK winning their 5th IPL title
An incredible last-ball thriller saw Chennai Super Kings defeat Gujarat Titans in the Final of the Indian Premier League.
A game that was scheduled to start on Sunday ended about 90 minutes past midnight on Tuesday thanks to the rain that played spoilsport. However, it was worth the wait after two marvellous months of cricketing action, and it all came down to the last ball of the last game of the tournament. It was truly a fitting end to an extraordinary season.
Here is how fans on Twitter reacted to all the key moments of a finale worthy of the tournament that was.
Twitter reactions as CSK win fifth title thanks to Devon Conway and Ravindra Jadeja magic
After more than an hour lost due to rain, CSK’s revised target was 171 in 15 overs after Gujarat posted a mammoth 213. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway got CSK off to a flying start, scoring 72 in the first six overs. Both the openers were dismissed in the 7th over by Noor Ahmed, who was unbelievably good in a high pressure game.
Ajinkya Rahane and Ambati Rayudu then chipped in with very handy cameos striking at more than 200. Shivam Dube, who hit Rashid Khan for two consecutive sixes at a stage where CSK needed 50 runs off 20 deliveries, remained not out.
But, the man of the moment was, and is, Ravindra Jadeja. He hit a six followed by a four when CSK needed 10 off the last two balls, sealing the record-equalling fifth IPL title for CSK. The local boy from Gujarat helped CSK win what was an absolutely enthralling contest.
Sai Sudharsan on the losing side despite playing one of the great IPL Final knocks
Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss, and keeping the rain forecast in mind, decided to bowl first. Deepak Chahar dropped Shubman Gill off Tushar Deshpande’s bowling in the second over of the game. Gill went on to score a quickfire 39, but was then stumped off Ravindra Jadeja, courtesy of a lightning quick stumping from the man who arguably still has the quickest pair of hands, MS Dhoni. Wriddhiman Saha scored a brilliant 54 and laid the perfect platform for the batters to follow. Saha now averages a whopping 87 in IPL Finals.
But, the pick of the batters was the young and stylish, Sai Sudharsan. He started off slow, scoring only 20 in the first 17 deliveries that he faced. From there on, it was acceleration of the highest order from Sudharsan. The youngster was simply toying with the field, and played some stylish shots in the process. He scored a phenomenal 76 runs off the last 30 deliveries that he faced, helping GT post a mammoth total.
Saha made history by becoming the oldest batter to score a 50 in an IPL Final, while Sai Sudharsan became the second youngest to score a 50 in an IPL Final. With his score of 96, Sai Sudharsan also posted the third highest individual score in any IPL Final.
The perfect finish for Ambati Rayudu
On Sunday, Ambati Rayudu took to Twitter to announce that the game against Gujarat Titans would be his last ever in the tournament. That marked the end of what was an illustrious IPL career for Rayudu. He has retired as one of the only nine players to have played over 200 IPL games, and one of the only 15 batters to have scored more than 4000 IPL runs.
A voyage that started in 2010 for Rayudu with Mumbai Indians came to an end this Tuesday following Chennai Super Kings’ victory against Gujarat Giants. For Mumbai Indians, he averaged less than 25 only twice in eight seasons. In the 2011 season, he scored four 50s and scored close to 400 runs, making it his best season under Rohit Sharma’s MI.
For Chennai Super Kings, Rayudu had a dream debut season in 2018 where he scored a staggering 602 runs at an average of 43, striking at almost 150. He also struck at more than 150 in the 2021 season.
He played two potentially match-winning cameos in the Qualifier 1 and the Final this season, and has ended his career on a high. A night that he will remember forever, as Mahendra Singh Dhoni asked him to receive the prestigious IPL trophy. Ambati Rayudu has retired as the most decorated player in the history of the tournament, with six IPL trophies. Only Rohit Sharma has as many as him.
