Opener Shubman Gill on Friday smashed 63 as holders the Gujarat Titans beat the Chennai Super Kings by five wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) opener in front of more than 100,000 fans in Ahmedabad.
Chasing 179 for victory, Gujarat rode on Gill’s 36-ball innings to achieve their target with four deliveries to spare at the world’s biggest cricket stadium and their home ground.
The 16th edition of the money-spinning T20 tournament began with a glitzy opening ceremony and fireworks at a ground that has an official capacity of 132,000.
Photo: AP
A roar erupted when home captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to field first, but it was Chennai opener Ruturaj Gaikwad who soon silenced the home fans with a flurry of boundaries in his 92 off 50 balls.
Ruturaj lost partners Moeen Ali for 23 and then new signing Ben Stokes — the England all-rounder bought for US$1.96 million in the auction — for 7, but kept up the attack against the opposition bowlers.
However, Mohammed Shami, who reached 100 IPL wickets, Rashid Khan and Alzarri Joseph took two wickets each to check the scoring.
Photo: AP
Gujarat suffered a blow when new overseas player Kane Williamson jarred his knee while attempting a catch at the boundary and limped off the ground.
“We were very happy because at one point they were looking to go past 200, but we got wickets at the right time,” Pandya said. “Obviously when we lost Kane, we had to make sure we cover those runs and as many less runs as we can give.”
Sai Sudharsan replaced Williamson under the new “impact player” rule, which was also taken by Chennai, who replaced Ambati Rayudu with pace bowler Tushar Deshpande before they fielded.
The impact player, who can only be an Indian unless the team have fewer than four overseas players in their 11, is chosen from one of five substitutes listed with the team.
Other innovations include captains being allowed to announce their playing list after the toss, and teams being able to review umpires’ decisions on no-balls and wides using the Decision Review System.
“Having this impact rule makes my job difficult,” Pandya said. “I have too many options and because of this someone will bowl less.”
Deshpande got the prized wicket of Gill after being hit for a six on the previous ball to boost Chennai’s hopes of a turnaround, but unbeaten cameos from Rashid (10) and Rahul Tewatia (15) steered their team home.
Rashid was named man of the match for his all-round show.
There was more of Chennai’s yellow than blue of Gujarat at the stadium, which welcomed 41-year-old M.S. Dhoni with loud cheers at the start of the game in what could be the last IPL as player for the former India captain.
“We were slightly short,” Dhoni said of his team’s 178-7. “Another 15-20 runs would have been good. We all know there would be a little bit of dew.”
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Ferrari’s F1 fortunes might be flagging, but the Italian team start this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as favorites, targeting a third consecutive triumph in motorsport’s fabled endurance classic. Roger Federer is acting as celebrity starter with the tennis icon getting the 93rd edition of the jewel in four-wheeled endurance racing’s crown under way tomorrow. Twenty-four hours later, through daylight, darkness and dawn, the 21 elite hypercars are to battle it out over 300 laps (more than 4,000km) in front of a sold-out 320,000 crowd burning the midnight oil with copious quantities of coffee and beer. Ferrari made a triumphant return after
RSS