CSK vs GT, IPL 2023 Final: Three Reasons why Gujarat Titans lost the Final

It was a disheartening anticlimax as Gujarat Titans suffered a defeat in the final of IPL 2023 on Monday (May 29).

The IPL 2023 witnessed a pulsating final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday. The game was rescheduled because of a rainy Sunday which didn't allow a ball to be bowled, but the rain gods decided to mostly stay calm as we witnessed a full and fitting final.

CSK, who have garnered pouring love across all IPL stadiums this season, were the favourites going into the game, and it was a fairytale ending for them. The MS Dhoni-led team registered a pulsating victory over Gujarat Titans to win their 5th IPL title.

Gujarat Titans scored 214/4 in their 20 overs but ended up losing the match in the last ball. CSK chased down the revised target of 171 runs in 15 overs as Ravindra Jadeja scored 10 runs off the last two balls.

1. A lacklustre bowling performance

Gujarat Titans had to defend 170 runs in 15 overs. And they failed to do so courtesy of a collective failure in bowling.

After the restart, the GT bowlers conceded too many boundaries in the powerplay. Mohammed Shami was taken apart, whereas Rashid Khan had a dismal outing as well. The Afghan leg-spinner conceded 44 runs off his 3 overs, which was a big blow for them. Joshua Little also had a tough night as the Irish bowler conceded 30 runs in his two overs.

They leaked boundaries in every over and were punished by CSK batters in regular intervals.

2. An untimely rain in the Final

It was a disappointing interruption by nature yet again, which took a toll on GT. The Titans would have loved to see the match continue at the scheduled time, but the rain played a part and broke the rhythm.

A reduced number of overs helped CSK and contrastingly wasn't the most welcoming news for the Titans. The GT bowlers also didn't help themselves and bowled some ordinary deliveries, which gave CSK the perfect start.

3. An error from Hardik Pandya

In the final over, CSK needed 13 runs. Mohit Sharma bowled four excellent deliveries and conceded only three runs. CSK needed 10 off the last two balls and Gujarat Titans seemed destined to win the match.

But GT captain Hardik Pandya took some unnecessary time to have a chat with his bowler and kind of advised the GT bowler on something. Mohit Sharma tried to do something different and missed his length in the last two balls, conceding 10 runs.

Although it was not a cricketing error, but it played a telling part in hindsight. It will be a massive lesson for Hardik Pandya who is relatively new in captaincy and looks set to lead GT and India for the foreseeable future.