Hardik Pandya admits the disappointment of losing the Indian Premier League final was somewhat alleviated by seeing one of his heroes MS Dhoni lift the trophy for Chennai Super Kings.
India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja hit 10 off the last two balls to clinch a dramatic victory over Gujarat Titans in a thrilling IPL final.
The Titans, bidding to become just the third team to retain the IPL trophy, posted 214-4 thanks to Sai Sudharsan’s superb 96 from 47 balls.
A rain delay saw Super Kings set a target of 171 from 15 overs and Dhoni’s side won in dramatic fashion with a six and a four from the final two balls.
The victory saw Chennai Super Kings match Mumbai Indians’ record of five IPL titles as they lifted the trophy for the third time in five seasons.
‘I think we ticked a lot of boxes tonight and played with our heart,’ Gujarat Titans captain Pandya said. ‘We’ve always been a team that has stood together and no one gave up.
‘We win together and we lose together. CSK played better cricket but I can’t ask anything more from my team.
‘If I had to lose, I don’t mind losing to Dhoni. I’m very happy for him. Destiny had this written for him. Good things happen to good people.’
Gujarat Titans made a strong start to the 2023 IPL final, which had to be moved to the reserve day following heavy rain in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Sudharsan’s 96 was the standout innings but Wriddhiman Saha also made 54 and Shubman Gill 39 as the Chennai Super Kings bowlers went the distance.
Chennai made a rapid start to the chase through Devon Conway (47) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (26) but both were dismissed by the impressive Noor Ahmad, who claimed figures of 2-17 from three overs.
Shivam Dubey and Ajinkya Rahane kept the chase on track with cameos but Gujarat Titans appeared on top when Mohit Sharma took two wickets in two balls and then bowled a tidy last over, leaving Chennai needed two boundaries from the last two balls.
But Jadeja smashed the penultimate ball for six and then clipped the final delivery past fine leg for four as Chennai Super Kings won by five wickets to be crowned IPL champions.
Discussing his future in the competition, Dhoni said afterwards: ‘This is the best time to announce my retirement, but the amount of love I have received all over.
‘The easy thing would be to walk away from here, but the harder thing would be working hard for nine months and try to play another IPL.
‘It would be a gift from me, [but] won’t be easy on the body. You do get emotional, the first game at CSK everyone was chanting my name. My eyes were full of water, I needed to take some time off in the dugout.’
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