'Kya kiye? Koot diye' - Fans elated as Gujarat beat Chennai by 5 wickets in Indian T20 League 2023's thrilling opener

Arijit Singh, Tamannaah Bhatia, and Rashmika Mandanna wowed the crowd at the tournament's opening ceremony, kicking off the Indian T20 League 2023 in spectacular fashion. In the first match of the tournament, Gujarat faced Chennai at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Winning the toss, Gujarat's captain Hardik Pandya decided to bowl first. The pitch was ideal for batting, and Chennai opener Ruturaj Gaikwad took complete advantage of it. The elegant batter appeared to be in fine form as he scored the first half-century of the Indian T20 League 2023.

The defending champions, on the other hand, got some early wickets. Mohammed Shami took the first wicket of Devon Conway in the third over, while Rashid Khan dismissed Moeen Ali, who looked to take him on, and Ben Stokes, who made his debut for Chennai.

Gaikwad, however, did not succumb to the pressure of wickets as he kept the boundaries under control. Despite a few wickets falling at one end, he never let his strike rate drop. Much to his frustration, the 26-year-old was unable to complete his second century of the tournament. With a full toss delivery, Alzarri Joseph got his wicket in the 18th over of the game. In the end, Chennai scored 178 runs while losing seven wickets. Rashid, Shami, and Alzarri Joseph each took two wickets for Gujarat, while debutant Joshua Little took one.

Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill got off to a good start in the chase, but the former was out in the fourth over to Rajvardhan Hangargekar. Gujarat's opening stand was worth 37 runs. Sai Sudharsan, the impact player replacement for Kane Williamson, provided excellent support for Gill, scoring 22 runs in 17 balls. However, it was Gill who had the most impact in the second innings, scoring 63 runs in 36 balls.

After his wicket, it was up to Vijay Shankar and Rahul Tewatia to do the job for Gujarat. While Shankar departed after a cameo of 27 runs, Rashid Khan turned the game around with his special cameo. Along with Tewatia, he hit 15 runs in the 19th over to get the ask down to eight in the last over. Tewatia held his nerves to hit a six and a four to win the game for his team. Gujarat registered a win of 5 wickets in the season opener of the Indian T20 League 2023.

Here is how Twitter reacted to Gujarat's win

Recreate this Thala🤬 pic.twitter.com/02L9qCpyOQ

— Ana de Armas stan (@abhithecomic) March 31, 2023

Deepak's last over cost the game for Csk.
Lanat landya team got win.. Sad day for Cricket

— Santosh (@SmpPhukan) March 31, 2023

Don't think CSK could win with player like Tushar despande, Shivam dube in the the xi

— Take My Note (@Cricpoints1) March 31, 2023

Deshpande..impact player they said,for which team they didn't.

— movieman (@movieman777) March 31, 2023

3rd consecutive win for GT over CSK.

— saistunz (@saistunz10) March 31, 2023

Rashid khan and Rahul tewatiya in today's match pic.twitter.com/bi6RyiqE3T

— Sanket Shah (@SanketS64861430) March 31, 2023

Well paid adani! #cskvsgt #gtvscsk #MSDhoni

— Daddy 🇮🇳 (@papa_b0lte_) March 31, 2023

Dhoni can't defend that total even with kane Williamson injured

But but vo piche se Match Badal deta h 🫣🫣🫣🫣😭😭😭

— Antimonitor (@antimonitor77) March 31, 2023

Let's laugh on Thala

Thala's Impact Player :
Deshpande 1-51 (3.2 overs)
🤣🤣🤣🤣

— DewAzam (@mewari_ravi) March 31, 2023