IPL 2022, CSK vs GT: Saha's comeback from nearly seals Gujarat's top-2 spot, fans exulted

On Sunday, Gujarat Titans smacked Chennai Super Kings by seven wickets in IPL 2022. The win has nearly sealed GT's spot in the top two, thanks to Wriddhiman Saha, pleasing the fans.

Four-time defending champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) severely lacked consistency, as it again suffered a one-sided defeat to new team Gujarat Titans (GT) in Match 62 of the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). It was played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, and GT breezed past with a seven-wicket win, thanks to Wriddhiman Saha's comeback form, as he played a commendable knock of an unbeaten 50. The triumph has allowed GT to almost seal its spot in the top two, as it looks set to play Qualifier 1 in the same. In the meantime, fans were intrigued by GT's outing and Saha's rise in the form again.

Winning the toss, CSK skipper MS Dhoni opted to bat since it happened to be an afternoon game, while he made four changes to experiment since it is already out of playoffs contention. While it lost Devon Conway (5) to seamer Mohammed Shami in the third over of the powerplay, with just eight runs on the board, fellow opener Ruturaj Gaikwad (53) and Moeen Ali (21) added 57 for the second wicket before spinner Ravi Sai Kishore dismissed the latter in the ninth. Gaikwad and N Jagadeesan (39*) put on 48 for the third wicket, as the former scored his tenth IPL half-century.

However, at 113, in the 16th, Gaikwad walked back after being sent packing by impactful leg-spinner Rashid Khan. Thereon, there were some small partnerships, but not impressive ones. CSK failed to hit a single boundary in the final five overs, as it finished on a below-par total of 133/5. The GT bowlers nipped the bud in the last five, with Shami claiming a couple, while pacer Hardik Pandya was decently economical.

In reply, Saha (67*) and Shubman Gill (18) started fantastically, contributing 59 before pacer Matheesha Pathirana dismissed the latter in the eighth. Nonetheless, the scoreboard pressure was not enough to rattle the GT batters, as Saha and Matthew Wade (20) added 31 for the second, while the latter fell to off-spinner Moeen in the 12th. Ten runs later, Pandya (7) was dismissed by Pathirana at 100.

However, Saha and David Miller (15) took charge of the remainder of the chase and comfortably saw GT through by seven wickets, with five balls to spare. For CSK, it was a no-show with the ball, with Pathirana claiming a couple, while leg-spinner Prashant Solanki was the most economical from his side. Also, IPL 2022 has registered the most sixes in a single edition, going past 840.
Brief scores: CSK 133/5 (Gaikwad- 53, Jagadeesan- 39*; Shami- 2/19) lost to GT 137/3 in 19.1 overs (Saha- 67*; Pathirana- 2/24) by seven wickets.