As it happened: Chennai Super Kings vs Gujarat Titans, IPL 2022, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
By Sreshth ShahMission top two = complete
Unless you're from Gujarat or you are a Hardik Pandya superfan, there is no way you would've envisioned this. The team considered 'unbalanced' after the auction has done it: Gujarat Titans are the first team to secure a top-two finish in the league stage of IPL 2022. Their tenth win in 13 games secures two bites at the cherry that is the IPL 2022 final in Ahmedabad.
At the start of the season, the buzz was that they were an inexperienced team that did not have proper squad balance. The first few wins were put down to 'beginning's luck.' The next few victories were categorised as games they got lucky in. But as the league stage of IPL 2022 has chugged along, the Gujarat Titans juggernaut has rolled on with comprehensive wins over Lucknow and Chennai over the last few days.
The last time Chennai Super Kings and Titans met, it needed a David Miller and Rashid Khan heist to take them home from a difficult position. This time, the Titans bossed an underwhelming Super Kings through the whole game. The Titans did not experiment with their XIs, the Super Kings gave some new faces a go, and in the end, the team in form proved too hot for MS Dhoni's side.
Match 63, a crucial one for the points table, is getting underway soon so we won't have the players' reactions right away. Stay tuned to ESPNcricinfo to get those as soon as we get a hold of them. Thanks for your company, and congratulations to all Titans fans.