IPL 2026: Rabada, Sai Power Gujarat Titans To 8-Wicket Win Over CSK

Chennai: Speedster Kagiso Rabada breathed fire with a spell of three for 25 and local boy Sai Sudharsan went all guns blazing (87 off 46 balls) as Gujarat Titans humbled Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets here at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.

In pursuit of CSK's 158 for seven, Gujarat began with authority, racing to 55 without loss in the powerplay. The breakthrough, however, came when wrist spinner Noor Ahmad entered the attack. In his very first over, Noor dismantled the opening stand by removing Shubman Gill for a brisk 33, halting Gujarat’s momentum.

However, Sudharsan forged a crucial 97-run stand with Jos Buttler for the second wicket. Gujarat cruised to 82 for one in 10 overs and swiftly brought the equation down before accomplishing the chase with 20 balls to spare. Sudharsan, who scored a century in his previous game, slammed seven sixes and three of them came against left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein.

Earlier, it was Rabada who dictated terms with the new ball. Exploiting the bounce on offer, he struck twice in the fourth over to remove the in-form Sanju Samson and Urvil Patel, leaving Chennai reeling at 25 for two. The slide worsened almost immediately when Impact Substitute Sarfaraz Khan fell for a golden duck, mistiming a pull off Mohammed Siraj.

Strangled by disciplined bowling, CSK limped to 28 for three at the end of the powerplay. The struggles continued as Dewald Brevis endured a scratchy stay, scoring just 2 off 9 balls before departing, with the scoreboard reading 37 for three. By the halfway mark, Chennai had crawled to 43 for four, with a staggering 38 dot balls. The second half saw 28 dot balls.

A prolonged boundary drought — stretching from 3.5 to 9.1 overs — further underlined their stagnation, before Shivam Dube finally found the fence off Jason Holder. It took CSK 12 overs to reach the 50-run mark.

Amid the collapse, Ruturaj Gaikwad stood tall. Anchoring the innings with composure, he rediscovered form with a fluent unbeaten 74 off 60 balls, accounting for four of the team’s six maximums. His resistance provided the backbone of an otherwise faltering innings. Ruturaj faced 30 dot balls and it was the second most in an IPL innings.

The late overs, however, brought a shift in tempo. When Rashid Khan was introduced as late as the 15th over, CSK capitalised immediately, plundering 21 runs in what turned out to be his most expensive spell, with Dube clearing the ropes in style.

Dube, though, rode his luck — reprieved by Jos Buttler, Sudharsan and Siraj — before eventually falling for 22 off 17 to Arshad Khan. A late flourish saw CSK collect seven boundaries in the final two overs, lifting them to a competitive 158 for seven.