Ravindra, Dube help Chennai thrash Gujarat in IPL

AFP | Beijing, China                                                

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra hit an explosive 46 and took three catches to help holders Chennai Super Kings to their second straight IPL win with a 63-run thrashing of Gujarat Titans yesterday.

The left-handed Ravindra, in his debut IPL season, made his runs off 20 balls while captain Ruturaj Gaikwad also hit 46 as Chennai posted 206-6 at their home M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.

Seam bowlers Mustafizur Rahman, Deepak Chahar and Tushar Deshpande took two wickets each to help restrict Gujarat, led by Shubman Gill, to 143-8 and go down to their biggest IPL loss by runs.

Chennai’s Shivam Dube topscored with his 51 off 23 deliveries to boost the total after Ravindra and Gaikwad gave the team a quick start in their opening stand of 62.

Old warhorse M.S. Dhoni shocked his fans ahead of the T20 tournament when he passed on the Chennai captaincy to Gaikwad after he had led the team to its fifth IPL title last year.

Gaikwad, who led the team to a win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL opener last week, survived an early reprieve on one and made use of the spill.

The left-handed Ravindra remained defiant and clubbed three sixes and six fours. Gujarat’s Afghanistan spin wizard Rashid Khan denied Ravindra his fifty as the leg-spinner had the batsman stumped while Gaikwad fell caught behind off Australia’s Spencer Johnson.

Dube reached his fifty in 22 balls before he fell in the 19th over to Rashid, who took two wickets but leaked 49 runs.

Gujarat, who won a title in their debut IPL season in 2022, were never in the chase after they lost Gill lbw off Chahar.

Gill took charge of the team and won his opening match on Sunday after Hardik Pandya switched to Mumbai Indians for another captain’s role.

The final of the lucrative T20 tournament will be played in Chennai on May 26.