3 reasons why CSK won the IPL 2023 final

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated the Gujarat Titans (GT) by 5 wickets in a thrilling last-ball final of the Tata IPL 2023. With the win, CSK won their 5th IPL title, equalling the record of the Mumbai Indians (MI) for the most victories in the tournament's history.

Batting first on a batting-friendly Narendra Modi Stadium pitch, GT posted a mammoth total of 214/4 at the end of their 20 overs. The GT batting effort was highlighted by Sai Sudarshan (96 runs off 47 balls), who missed out on a well-deserved hundred.

A vital half-century from Wriddhiman Saha (54 off 39 balls) and vital contributions from Shubman Gill (39 off 20 balls) and Hardik Pandya (21* off 12 balls) also helped GT.

A rain interruption in the first over of the second innings meant that the match was reduced to a 15-over encounter with the DLS target for CSK being 171.

It was a complete team effort from CSK in the chase as all batters chipped in with quickfire cameos, resulting in a last-ball win. It came courtesy of a six and a four on the last two balls of the match by Ravindra Jadeja when 10 runs were required.

One must feel for GT, who would have thought that they had it in the bag until Jadeja snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. For CSK, it was a perfect send-off for one of their veterans, Ambati Rayudu, who had announced his decision to retire after this game.

Now that the dust has settled over the final, we can look back at the three biggest reasons for CSK's win in the summit clash.

---

#1 CSK's complete batting performance

It was a complete batting performance from CSK, who chased down a target that required them to score at 11.40 runs per over. The Super Kings were provided a strong start by Devon Conway (47 runs off 25 balls) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (26 runs off 16 balls), who posted a 74-run opening stand.

Following their quick dismissals, the control of the innings was taken over by Ajinkya Rahane (27 runs off 13 balls) and Shivam Dube (32* runs off 21 balls). They kept up with the asking rate in the middle overs. Playing his last match, Ambati Rayudu (19 runs off 8 balls), played an excellent cameo to bring his side to the cusp of glory.

However, a golden duck for MS Dhoni and some excellent bowling by Mohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami ensued. Mohit and Shami's kept things relatively quiet in the second half of the 18th over, the entire 19th over, and the first four balls of the 20th over.

This meant that CSK needed 10 runs off the last 2 balls with Ravindra Jadeja on strike. Jadeja struck a six over long-on to make the equation 4 runs off the final ball. Jadeja played the leg-glance off a leg-stump full-toss to take his team to their 5th Title.

---

#2 CSK successfully attacked Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan didn't have a great time in the final [File Photo, Image: Rashid Khan on Twitter]

In his IPL career, Rashid Khan has had a phenomenal economy-rate of 6.67. This year too, Rashid had an excellent season as he finished 3rd in the Purple Cap race behind teammates Mohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami.

In 17 matches this year, the leg-spinner picked up 27 wickets at an economy-rate of 8.24. In an ideal scenario, CSK would have played out the overs of the Afghan spin master.

However, the situation demanded CSK to go after all of the GT bowlers. The Chennai side would have been well aware that in their effort to take on Rashid, they could easily lose some of their top batters.

However, CSK took the gamble and it paid off as Rashid Khan gave away 44 runs in his 3 overs at an economy-rate of 14.67 and went wicketless. This win in their mini-battle with Rashid went a big way towards giving CSK the title.

---

#3 Low strike-rate of Wriddhiman Saha

Wriddhiman Saha scored a half-century but it proved too slow in the context of this match [Image: IPL]

The lowest strike-rate of any CSK player was Shivam Dube, who played at a rate of 152.38. Other players had the following strike-rates: Ruturaj Gaikwad (162.50), Devon Conway (188.00), Ajinkya Rahane (207.69), Ambati Rayudu (237.50), and Ravindra Jadeja (250.00).

Most of the GT players too maintained a high strike-rate with Sai Sudarshan (204.26), Shubman Gill (195.00), and Hardik Pandya (175.00) keeping the innings moving at a quick pace.

However, Wriddhiman Saha (54 runs off 39 balls), batted at a strike-rate of 138.46. On a normal day, this strike-rate would have been great. But in a match where both teams scored at just below or above 11 runs per over, such a strike-rate is below-par.

Saha played almost 40 balls, which is one-third of the innings. Thus, the logic of a shorter innings at a high strike-rate being better than a longer innings at an average strike-rate in T20 cricket held true today.

With that, we complete our piece on 3 reasons why CSK won the final of IPL 2023. Can you think of any other reasons? Let us know in the comments section below.