“We did all we could, took the game to the last ball” - GT team director Vikram Solanki reflects on defeat in IPL 2023 final

Gujarat Titans (GT) team director Vikram Solanki praised his side for giving it their all and fighting till the last ball in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 final against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Admitting that a full 40-overs contest could have made a difference, Solanki added that he would not take anything away from deserving champions Chennai.

CSK beat GT by five wickets (via the DLS method) on the reserve day of the IPL 2023 final on Monday, May 29. Sent into bat after losing the toss, Gujarat posted 214/4 in 20 overs as Sai Sudharsan smashed a superb 96 off 47 balls. After a long rain interruption, Chennai were set a revised target of 171 in 15 overs. They got home off the last ball.

Speaking in the post-match press conference, Solanki reflected on the impact of a shortened final. He opined:

“It [curtailed match] may have done [made a difference], but I’m not going to take anything away from CSK. Not today. They were the champions and they deserve to be the champions. We did all we could, we took the game to the absolute last ball.

“The game kept shifting. We were quite outstanding with the bat whether the conditions changed or not, that’s a conversation you can keep having but I’m not going to take anything away from what the side has achieved.”

One of the reasons GT suffered was because their seasoned leg-spinner Rashid Khan had an off day and proved to be expensive.

Throwing his weight behind the franchise’s star performer, Solanki said:

“Today’s performance was certainly not his best, but sometimes that happens in sports. He is a wonderful team member and an outstanding team cricketer, he has played a huge part in the last two seasons that we have had.”

Even as young left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad impressed with figures of 2/17, Rashid conceded 44 runs in three overs without claiming a wicket.

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“When Shubman got out, it was all about taking the game a little deeper” - GT batter Sai Sudharsan

In the build-up to the IPL 2023 final, all the talk was around in-form opener Shubman Gill, who had dominated proceedings with the bat in the franchise’s last few games. However, it was Sai Sudharsan who top-scored for GT in the final, with a scintillating knock.

The left-handed batter took charge after Gill was dismissed for 39 and smacked eight fours and six sixes, falling only four short of three figures.

Asked about his batting mindset in the final, Sudharsan said:

“When Shubman got out, it was all about taking the game a little deeper and keeping a check on the scoreboard as well. I was trying to take my chances and take the game deep as well.

“It was more about the mental aspect, how to get ready, how to be aware or how to decide what to do in that situation. I have worked on that a little bit and obviously in the skill part as well. Definitely, (I am) very happy and grateful to have contributed to the team, but a little bit sad also because the result was not on our side.”

Sudharsan, 21, played eight matches for GT in IPL 2023, scoring 362 runs at an average of 51.71 and a strike rate of 141.41, with three half-centuries along the way.