Never-say-die CSK lift fifth IPL title

Press Trust of India

Ahmedabad: Under the stewardship of the iconic Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings embellished their already fabulous record in the IPL with a fifth title triumph, beating Gujarat Titans by five wickets in a thrilling summit showdown here on Monday.

Dhoni has been the cynosure of all eyes ever since the Indian Premier League began this year and in a fitting end to the finale, the captain finished with a record-levelling fifth trophy. B Sai Sudharsan slammed 96 in 47 balls as Gujarat Titans posted 214 for four after being asked to bat first.

Set a revised target of 171 in 15 overs after rain interrupted play at the start of the second innings of a final that was pushed to the reserve day owing to heavy downpour, CSK completed the task in the last ball, in what could turn out to be Dhoni’s final outing in the T20 league. Ravindra Jadeja struck a six and a four off Mohit Sharma in the final two balls to win it for CSK and even as the players in the yellow jersey run onto the field, Dhoni remained in the dugout, his eyes closed.

Neither the juggernaut of the Gujarat Titans nor bad weather for two days could stop Dhoni’s men from drawing level with their arch rivals Mumbai Indians, in terms of most IPL trophy wins. It remains to be seen whether Dhoni would return to lead CSK once again next year or not, as the entire IPL and even the final was all about Dhoni-mania.

The fans filled the Narendra Modi Stadium to the brink for two days, remained undeterred when the weather went awry, waited for a truncated match to start well beyond midnight on Monday — all this to see Dhoni winning the IPL again. In the end, CSK prevailed over the defending champions via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern Method. Ruturaj Gaikwad (26) and Devon Conway (47) knocked off 74 runs from the target in only 6.3 overs.

Shivam Dube stayed till the end with an unbeaten 32, but lost Ajinkya Rahane (27), Ambati Rayudu (19) and Dhoni (0) in quick succession to see CSK’s chances diminish. Needing 13 to win from the final over, CSK could only manage three singles off the first four balls. But Jadeja turned the tables on GT’s best death bowler, Mohit Sharma (3/36), smacking him for a six and a four on the last two balls to seal the deal for his side.