AI Simulation, GT vs CSK | Glorious Gill guides Gujarat to top-two finish with clinical chase

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Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to bat first.

GT: Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Sai Kishore, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada

CSK: Ayush Mhatre, Devon Conway, Urvil Patel, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, MS Dhoni (c/wk), Ansul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana    

Opting to bat first, Devon Conway and Ayush Mhatre got Chennai Super Kings off to a brisk start with the latter one again playing aggressor. The youngster slammed three fours and a maximum in a blitzkrieg of 28 before holing out off Mohammed Siraj, and Sai Kishore's scalp of Urvil Patel the very next over meant the powerplay ended at 63/2 for the hosts. Rashid Khan entered the attack as soon as the field spread, and instantly sent Ravindra Jadeja back to the hut to make it three wickets in as many overs and leave the Yellow Army reeling. However, as has often been the case in the second half of the season, Dewald Brevis delivered on his responsibility of changing the tide of the game with aplomb, the Proteas combining with Devon Conway for a fourth wicket stand of 76. While Brevis struck three boundaries and two maximums for 34 runs in 21 balls, Conway switched gears with a brilliant onslaught against Rashid to bring up a 35-ball half-century. The only bowler that managed to hold his own in this phase of the game was Purple Cap holder Prasidh Krishna, who added to his tally by breaking the partnership in the 15th and added the cherry on top with Conway's wicket two balls later. However, just as GT were looking to force the brakes, Shivam Dube (25 off 14) hit two towering sixes off Kishore to seize momentum again before a vintage Dhoni cameo (22* off 11) at the death -- including a nostalgic helicopter shot for six -- saw the team add 51 runs in the final five overs and set a target of 193.

In response, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan stamped their authority right from the start to extend an unprecedented run of form at the top of the order. Hard running between the wickets and risk-free boundaries against any delivery brinking on loose once again symbolized a gamechanging powerplay, where they managed 71 runs in the powerplay without much ado. The scoring rates took a beating once the field spread, as Noor Ahmad brought back some control for CSK, but no breakthrough arrived as the score ticked past 100 at the halfway mark. It was only after Sudharsan brought up his seventh 50-plus score of the season that he miscued a Ravichandran Ashwin straight to long-on. Nevertheless, Gill kept motoring along to bring up an even quicker half-century, off 26 deliveries, and with Jos Buttler combined for 40 runs to take their team to the brink of victory. However, the duo fell in quick succession for 77(44) and 21(13) respectively to offer CSK a glimmer of hope that further intensified when Matheesha Pathirana sent back Sherfane Rutherford and Shahrukh Khan in the 17th over. The chaotic couple of overs left 29 runs needed off the last two overs, but Rahul Tewatia killed off the game in the 18th over itself by dispatching Noor for 17 runs, as GT eventually trundled across the line with five balls to spare.        

Shubman Gill's stellar run of form in 2025 continued at home as his 77 off 44 balls played the decisive role in the encounter, handing him a third Man of the Match award this season. The knock also saw the opener more than cover-up the two-run deficit to opening partner Sai Sudharsan in the run-scoring charts, making the GT skipper the current holder of the Orange Cap.  

Scorecard