Rabada, Sudharsan hand CSK another home defeat

Gujarat Titans shrugged off their defeat in Bengaluru with a commanding response, overpowering Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk. CSK had recovered admirably after an early burst from Kagiso Rabada, scoring 115 runs in the second half of their innings to reach 158. Yet, even on a surface that offered occasional uneven bounce, it felt a touch light once GT's celebrated top-three found rhythm.

Sai Sudharsan, fresh from his century in Bengaluru, carried the momentum forward with a sparkling 87 off 46 balls as the Titans cantered home with 20 deliveries to spare.

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Chennai Super Kings 158/7 in 20 overs [Ruturaj Gaikwad 74* (60); Kagiso Rabada 3-25] lost to Gujarat Titans 162/2 in 16.4 overs [Sai Sudharsan 87 (46), Jos Buttler 39* (30)] by 8 wickets

Gujarat Titans won the toss, chose to field, and then owned the Powerplay through ruthless length control. Not one of the 36 deliveries was pitched full. Of the 24 balls on a hard length, one brought a wicket; the 12 short balls fetched two more. Kagiso Rabada continued his great run and had the in-form Sanju Samson edging behind before greeting Urvil Patel with a 149kph bumper that climbed sharply as the batter charged out, forcing a top-edge.

That left Chennai Super Kings scrambling to bring Sarfaraz Khan on as an Impact Sub but he was bounced out first ball by Mohammed Siraj. The hosts stumbled to 28 for 3 after six overs.

Chennai Super Kings had slipped to 37 for 4 when Dewald Brevis miscued Manav Suthar, and by the halfway mark were inching along at 43 for 4. Ruturaj Gaikwad, meanwhile, was stuck in a 35-ball boundary drought - the longest such dry spell by any batter this season.

The reset finally came in the 13th over. After taking a blow on the bicep, Gaikwad responded by launching a pair of sixes off Arshad Khan, shaking both himself and the innings back to life. That counterattack became the spark for a late surge as CSK plundered 83 runs from the final six overs. Gujarat Titans did little to stop it, producing a sloppy evening in the field. Shivam Dube was put down three times and though he made only 22, he still played a vital hand in a 59-run stand off 43 balls with Gaikwad. Jamie Overton then added late muscle with 18 off just six deliveries, giving the total some overdue heft

Rashid Khan was held back until the 15th over and then trusted with only a solitary spell. It went for 21 runs, extending what has been an uncharacteristically flat stretch after he was also taken for 49 in Bengaluru two nights earlier.

Shubman Gill joked he didn't get much of the strike in the Powerplay in Bengaluru. As if to overcompensate, Sudharsan turned the strike over with the first ball and Gill took charge of the chase and the Powerplay that saw GT wipe out 55 runs off the target. Gill faced 22 deliveries and made 32. The GT captain struck a six and a four off Akeal Hosein and maximised an Overton over to take 17. Gill fell straight after the fielding restictions, stumped brilliantly by Samson off Noor Ahmad but his strong start set the base to allay any fears of a wobble

After a brief period of stabilisation, Sudharsan and Jos Buttler began to take GT over the line in a hurry. Sudharsan completed a 33-ball half-century to go with his ton from two nights ago while Buttler ensured that GT's slightly wobbly middle-order needn't be pressed into service. The pair added 97 off 60 balls before Sudharsan was dismissed by an excellent catch from Brevis, the South African making up for an equally acrobatic effort earlier that he couldn't convert into a catch. The chase was sealed with 20 balls to spare.

CSK have a substantial six-day break before they take on Mumbai Indians at home next Saturday. Gujarat Titans head back home to take on RCB Thursday (April 30).