IPL 2026: Chennai Super Kings vs Gujarat Titans, Match 37 - Who Said What?

Gujarat Titans defeated the Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets in a one-sided contest at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday, April 26.

Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to field first in sultry conditions. Kagiso Rabada steamed in with the new ball and bowled a fantastic spell, bagging the wickets of Sanju Samson and Urvil Patel in the fourth over. Mohammed Siraj also bowled with a lot of energy and picked up the wicket of Sarfaraz Khan in the following over.

With three wickets down early, Ruturaj Gaikwad decided to drop anchor. The ball wasn't coming on nicely onto the bat, and Dewald Brevis, who likes to play his shots, could only manage two runs before getting dismissed. Gaikwad held one end together, while Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, and Jamie Overton batted around him, contributing with small cameos.

In the end, Gaikwad remained unbeaten on 74 off 60 balls, his first half-century of the season. The home side finished on 158/7. Gujarat were not at their best on the field. If they had fielded better and taken their chances, Chennai would have had to settle for a much lesser total.

Chasing the modest target, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan added 55 runs in the power play. A brilliant piece of stumping from Sanju Samson ended Gill's knock for 33. He failed to cash in on a reprieve given to him by Akeal Hosein earlier.

Jos Buttler joined forces with Sudharsan, and the duo added 97 runs off 60 balls to take the visitors towards the target. The latter was the aggressor in the partnership. He was eventually dismissed for 87 off 46 balls when only four runs were left in the run chase. Buttler (39*) took his team to victory, with Washington Sundar for company. They romped home in 16.4 overs.

Talking points:

1. Kagiso Rabada excels with a remarkable spell

Kagiso Rabada was brilliant with the new ball. He found some movement early in the innings and used it to dismiss Sanju Samson in the fourth over. Three balls later in the same over, he got the better of Urvil Patel. His pace was right up there, causing discomfort for the CSK batters. Rabada returned at the back end of the innings and dismissed Kartik Sharma. He eventually finished with figures of 3/25 in four overs.

2. Ruturaj Gaikwad shows signs of returning to form

One of the rare silver linings from this game for Chennai has to be the time Ruturaj Gaikwad spent at the crease and the runs he got under pressure. He carried his bat, finishing with 74 not out off 60 balls, hitting six fours and four sixes. Gaikwad had to play sedately in the first half of the innings but managed to shift gears commendably towards the end. This knock will give him some confidence heading into the upcoming matches.

3. Sai Sudharsan follows up century vs RCB with 87 vs CSK

Sai Sudharsan had an indifferent start to the season, with runs being hard to come by. However, in the last two matches, he has hit top form. Fresh off a 58-ball 100 against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sudharsan batted fluently on a surface which had something in it for the bowlers. He got a reprieve while batting on 64. He was eventually dismissed for 87 off 46 balls, but the match was already in the bag by then.

Who said what

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Chennai Super Kings captain:

Yes, to be honest, sometimes i hate to assess in that way, but I felt it was challenging. I was holding a bit for the pacers; the pace was inconsistent, and the bounce was up and down. But if we hadn't lost too many wickets, we could've reached 170-180. Not expected to be honest, it's tough to assess the conditions here. In the last three matches, we learned how the game would play out. We had a 60-70% chance in the last two three games, but we didn't expect it to play like this today. We just couldn't adapt to the conditions. In the first timeout, I told Flem that I was trying to be positive and aggressive. But at times, the ball popped out with inconsistent bounce. I told him I was trying to adapt, but it wasn't possible. You couldn't judge, and you couldn't expect it to turn out well. We were lethargic and didn't start well, but we needed to do better. I got off to a good start (10 off 6), I thought I would keep the momentum, but then we saw 3 wickets fall while we were trying to build a partnership. Another wicket fell and I wanted to take my time. For any other pitch I might've rotated the strike better. Once I got hit, I just thought I will take my chances and get some momentum back. We were batting really well, if we hadn't lost two quick wickets, Mukesh would've come in the second innings. But we lost two wickets quickly, which is why we opted for an impact player.

Shubman Gill, Gujarat Titans captain:

Very happy with the win. It was a pretty good effort from us out there. I was a little bit confused whether to bowl first or bat first. We bowled well in the powerplay. Finishing the innings has been a concern for us and hopefully we improve. When Dube came in, we wondered if we should bowl one over of Washi. He (Suthar) bowled a decent last over. (On Sai) He's been batting brilliantly. Once he's set, he can give maximum rewards with minimum risks.

Kagiso Rabada, Player of the Match:

Just glad that I could play my part. Really wanted that win tonight. It's about staying ahead of the game. Not taking anything for granted, always looking to improve. Lot of fast bowlers, has been a clear tactic of GT. Nice to see the fast bowlers unit coming together. We need to find ways to contain too. It's been a lovely journey so far.