IPL 2024 - Ruturaj Gaikwad leads CSK to another victory, fans celebrate new skipper's winning streak

This was a match between the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the finalists Gujarat Titans (GT), and CSK once again demonstrated why they were deserving titleholders as they claimed an easy win at their fortress, the MA Chidambaram Stadium. In Match 7 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, CSK first posted a mammoth total of 206 runs and then defended it with ease, defeating GT by a significant margin of 63 runs.

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The Gujarat franchise never really got going once Shubman Gill (8) fell early, and it was a stroll in the park for the home side after that. Witnessing CSK secure two wins on the trot brought joy to fans, who took to social media, particularly X (formerly known as Twitter), to praise the new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.

CSK vs GT Highlights:

For GT, Sai Sudharsan got a start, but he was restricted by CSK's tight hold, resulting in his wicket falling for 37. Dangerous David Miller was just gaining momentum but fell to an excellent catch taken by Ajinkya Rahane. 

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The last overs were a mere formality as GT never seemed capable of chasing down the total. Wriddhiman Saha (21), Vijay Shankar (12), Azmatullah Omarzai (11), Rahul Tewatia (6), Rashid Khan (1), Umesh Yadav (10*), and Spencer Johnson (5*) did not contribute much as they scored 143 for 8 in their 20 overs.

For CSK, Deepak Chahar, Mustafizur Rahman, and Tushar Deshpande all claimed two wickets each, while Daryl Mitchell and Matheesha Pathirana took one each.

Earlier in the innings, after being asked to bat first, the home side got off to a flying start with Ruturaj Gaikwad (46) and Rachin Ravindra (46) almost reaching their half-centuries. Later, Ajinkya Rahane (12) added some runs, but it was Shivam Dube's 51 off 23 balls that propelled the side forward.

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He was supported by Daryl Mitchell (24), and later Sameer Rizvi (14) and Ravindra Jadeja (7) added a few runs towards the end. Rashid Khan was the pick of the bowlers for GT as he took 2 wickets, while Sai Kishore, Spencer Johnson, and Mohit Sharma claimed one each.

CSK vs GT playing XI:

CSK squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Sameer Rizvi, MS Dhoni (wk), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mustafizur Rahman

GT squad: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, David Miller, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Spencer Johnson.