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GT vs CSK Live Cricket Score, IPL 2026: Gujarat Titans sealed a top-two finish after annihilating Chennai Super Kings by 89 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
After being sent into bat by Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill and Co. played their classic template to perfection with fifties from the top-order setting up the chase. Gill responded instantly with a crunching surge through the Powerplay, reaching his half-century in only 23 balls on the back of a series of cracking slogs and drives, sinking CSK’s hopes. After Gill, it was the turn of Sai Sudharsan to amp the tempo for another half-century. The pair put on a record 7th 100-plus stand. Both failed to crack a century, but the necessary impetus soon came in the slog overs in the form of Jos Buttler who sped to a 23-ball fifty.
Chasing 230, the CSK chase never got going with a flurry of wickets from Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada dismantling the top order from within the Powerplay.
"Outplayed across all departments," concedes Ruturaj Gaikwad. The awareness and assurance in their classical template make Gujarat a standout in the frenetic environment of a madcap season. In the end they have overhauled CSK by nearly 90 runs and a deadly bowling attack almost puts them as a dangerous unit heading into the Playoffs.
The beginning of the end is here and Kagiso Rabada easily bumps Noor Ahmad out for a caught and bowled. GT galloping towards a top-two finish and are just one wicket away. Rabada sears one through length and Spencer Johnson nicks it behind. First-ball and Gujarat have hammered CSK by 89 runs.
Noor Ahmad c & b Rabada 1 (5b); Spencer Johnson c †Buttler b Rabada 0 (1b)
Wickets continue to tumble and Gujarat are in a hurry. First Anshul Kamboj and now Dewald Brevis have flailed against the leg-breaks of the wily Rashid Khan. CSK are nearing a flat, flat finish.
Dewald Brevis c Holder b Rashid Khan 8 (10b)
Dube in beast mode! He bludgeons Rashid Khan off his second delivery high over mid-wicket for SIX! In the air and Gill pulls of a blinder. A sensational grab at mid-off and Gill silences the crowd. Agony for Dube as he mistimes against the googly and Gill holds onto a stunning catch running backwards.
Shivam Dube c Shubman Gill b Rashid Khan 47 (17b 4x4 4x6)
Jason Holder offers one in the slot and Dube pummels it over wide long-on for SIX. A touch of room and Dube hacks it wide off third for FOUR. Another short ball and Dube wallops it over mid-wicket for another SIX. Dube and CSK aren't going out without a fight.
GT 109/5 in 10 overs
Arshad bangs one short and Dube smears one square for SIX. Fuller in the slot and Dube drills it down the ground for FOUR. Arshad strays to the pads and Dube flicks it behind short fine leg for another FOUR. A huge over there.
CSK 91/5 (9 overs)
Arshad Khan slides one in with the left-arm angle and Kartik nimbly flicks it over mid-wicket for FOUR. Quick run and there's a direct hit. Gill gets it fired in from mid-off and Kartik's on his way. He's short of his crease and CSK are five down!
Kartik Sharma run out (Shubman Gill) 19 (15b 3x4)
Rabada to Short, OUT! Taken this time. Short mistimes against the extra pace from Rabada and the ball chips straight to the mid-on fielder. Misery and more misery for CSK.
Matthew Short c Prasidh Krishna b Rabada 24 (14b 3x4 1x6)
CSK 58/4 in 6 overs
Kartik Sharma and Matt Short have aimed at steadying the ship quickly. Kartik charges at Siraj and gets a thick outside edge over cover for two runs, bringing up the 50 within the PP.
CSK 51/3 in 5 overs
Ruturaj revival? Siraj tails the ball in and Ruturaj picks it up and smites it over square-leg for SIX! Cleaned up this time. And Siraj knocks him over this time. Ruturaj attempts another swipe but Siraj gets the ball to zoom into the stumps this time. Urvil Patel's in and another bites the dust. Siraj doesn't get him the first time but the sharp bumper works the second time. A hurried hook and the ball balloons high and down to Prasidh at deep square.
Ruturaj Gaikwad b Mohammed Siraj 16 (7b 1x4 2x6); Urvil Patel c Prasidh Krishna b Mohammed Siraj 0 (2b)
Kagiso Rabada into the attack
Rabada tucks the ball in and Short leans into the drive on the up and punches it through cover for FOUR. A couple of dots to follow and smoked! Rabada slides one in and Short whips it away with a mighty swing over mid-wicket for SIX.
A golden duck for Sanju Samson! He fends the bat at an outswinger. No feet movement and the thick edge flies straight to the keeper as Mohammed Siraj strikes first ball. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad walks in at 3. Siraj slides it in and Gaikwad pumps the ball over mid-off for FOUR. Gaikwad goes round and round and scoops the ball with a top-edge over first slip for SIX!
Sanju Samson c Buttler b Mohammed Siraj 0 (1b)
CSK 10/1 in 1 over
While one may have thought Samson not open the batting with his injury, it's Ruturaj Gaikwad who has been demoted in the chase. Matt Short opens the inings with Samson in the chase.
Some positive news as Sanju Samson is padded up and ready for the chase. His record agains the GT new ball attack isn't great but CSK will be bolstered by his intent nevertheless.
Only twice has CSK chased above 180 in an IPL game in the last seven years:
A fielder short outside the ring due to the penalty and Buttler belts Mukesh over mid-on for FOUR. A single to follow, relief for CSK. Full and wide and Sundar glides the ball over third for SIX, wow!
GT finish on a whopping 229/4 and CSK await a record chase to stake their claim at a Playoffs spot. Sundar falls caught behind off the last delivery but that does not the ease the task for the visitors.
CSK need 230 to win in 20 overs
Low full-toss outside off and Sudharsan scythes it over deep point, for... SIX! Wider on the full and this time Sudharsan can't make enough power. He hits it straight to the long-off fielder and offers a simple catch. Rahul Tewatia is in at 4. He taps one towards mid-off and sets off on a single. Direct-hit and gone! Tewatia's short at the other end and CSK have two in two. But it's gotten Buttler on strike nevertheless and he makes Kamboj with back-to-back FOURs through extra cover. 23-ball fifty for Jos the Boss!
Sai Sudharsan c Short b Kamboj 84 (53b 7x4 4x6), Rahul Tewatia run out (Gaikwad) 0 (1b)
200 up with another big over. Rare band of looseners from Gurjapneet and both Sudharsan and Buttler dispatch a boundary each. GT still haven't done up to the mark on a fine pitch thus far, one would assume.
GT 201/1 in 18 overs
This has been seamless acceleration from Jos Buttler. At his sheer best on either side of the wicket. Buttler flays the fuller ball outside off easily over extra cover for SIX! Johnson comes up with a tidy streak but errs with a no-ball, overstepping by a mile.
GT 186/1 in 17 overs
Mukesh returns with a loosener on length and Buttler whacks it over mid-wicket for SIX even while not being in the position to fully execute it. One-hander, over the fence.
GT 159/1 IN 15 OVERS
Hit-me delivery in the slot and Buttler pumps Noor over cow corner for SIX. A string of ones and twos. Another wafter on length and Buttler smashes it over the sightscreen for another biggie - 22 from the over!
GT 151/1 in 14 overs
In the air! Taken! Shivam Dube holds on and Shubman Gill perishes in the attempt to lift the scoring rates. A tight over from Noor has done the trick perhaps as Gill's pre-emptive slog takes the toe-edge towards the mid-wicket fielder. Johnson roars and there's some relief for CSK. Jos Buttler's in at 3 and he's off the blocks straightaway with a neat flick down leg for FOUR.
Shubman Gill c Dube b Johnson 64 (37b 7x4 3x6)
FIFTY for Sai Sudharsan. He becomes only the fourth batter to smash FIVE consecutive IPL half-centuries after Virender Sehwag, David Warner and Jos Buttler. A neat over from Noor, just the three from it.
GT 124/0 in 12 overs
Shivam Dube into the attack
Sudharsan flays the first ball through cover for FOUR and the 100-run stand comes up. Seventh time Gill and Sudharsan have set up a 100-plus opening stand. Now it's Gill's turn to pile on the misery. A subtle chip-charge and he turns the ball around backward point for FOUR. Slower ball and Gill swats it fine for another FOUR. Gill can do no wrong tonight.
GT 111/0 in 10 overs
Kamboj bangs one short and Sudharsan nonchalantly deposits it over square-leg for a SIX. CSK are scrambling for a breakthrough and both Gill and Sudharasan aren't giving them any leeway. Worse, the fielding has been sloppy too with Gurjapneet letting the ball skip past him at deep third for FOUR.
GT 96/0 in 9 overs
Noor Ahmad into the attack
BANG! Gill welcomes the wrist-spinner with a thunderous clap over mid-wicket. Two milestones with one superb slog - 6000 runs and 200 sixes in T20s - for the GT captain. A slew of singles and we're back over mid-wicket again. Another classic slog sweep and Gill brings up his half-century in 23 balls with a cracker of a SIX.
GT 78/0 in 7 overs
Slot ball from Anshul Kamboj and Shubman Gill thumps it handsomely over wide long-on for SIX. Effortless stuff and this pitch could hurt a one-dimensional attack heavily through the night. CSK in desperate need of a reset here.
GT 62/0 in 6 overs
Defensive lines from Johnson as he comes around the stumps to Sudharsan in an attempt to cover the room. That doesn't quite work with Gill as he clears away and smears a fuller delivery over through cover for FOUR. Shubman, unleashed. He gives a charge, one-two and bang. The cover fielder cannot stop this one as it races to the fence in a flash - FOUR more.
GT 45/0 in 4 overs
Short from Mukesh and Sai punishes the width with a fierce square cut to the fence, FOUR. He tries the cheeky late cut but Short's pronounced leap stops the ball inside the circle. CSK not threatening with the ball early on here and this seems to be like a belter of a pitch.
GT 30/0 in 3 overs
Spencer Johnson from the opposite end
Sprayed on length and Gill eases into an elegant drive through cover-point for FOUR. He gets off with an aerial flick down to square leg. Too much movement early on and Samson fumbles. Johnson swings one late from around Sudharsan's legs, sending Samson across. He's hurt himself after putting his left hand out late to cover the movement. The physio's run in to give some attention.
And Samson walks off injured and home boy Urvil Patel takes over the keeping duties.
The break does little to Gill as he creams a regal straight drive down past Johnson for FOUR.
GT 23/0 in 2 overs
Sai Sudharsan takes strike. Left-armer Mukesh Choudhary up with the new ball.
A hint of shape as Sudharsan taps the first ball down to third for a single, bringing Gill on strike. Huge backing for the Yellow Army tonight, almost feels like an away game for GT in their backyard. Mukesh to Gill, in and out, varying lengths and Gill resorts to subtle taps to short mid-wicket and cover, no runs. Shorter with a hint of swing and Gill subtly taps it behind the square for FOUR, beating deep backward square. Gill muscles one over mid-wicket. Not great timing and Gaikwad gives chase to cut one, a rare three there for the home skipper.
GT 8/0 in 1 over
Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan step out for GT as the CSK huddle disperses after one last pep talk.
Shubman Gill's deftly downplayed the effect of the toss. He feels the track will hold up pretty much the same throughout the 40 overs. That could be true and CSK's decision to bowl first here would have stemmed from the need for clarity on their ultimate NRR equation. Can Ruturaj Gaikwad pull up his socks in the final league stage outing, both as skipper and an opening bat?
Chennai Super Kings Impact Subs: Kartik Sharma, Macneil Noronha, Sarfaraz Khan, Kuldip Yadav, Aman Khan
Gujarat Titans Impact Subs: Prasidh Krishna, Anuj Rawat, Glenn Phillips, Kulwant Khejroliya, Kumar Kushagra
Gujarat Titans XI: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Kagiso Rabada, Arshad Khan, Mohammed Siraj
Chennai Super Kings XI: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Urvil Patel, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Matthew Short, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh
TOSS: CSK win the toss, opt to bowl
Ruturaj Gaikwad: We are going to bowl first. There will be some pace and bounce and we want to explore it early on. We have two changes. Gurjapneet replaces Akeal. Matt Short in place of Veer. It is about trusting the process and we didn't get the results our way. We want to keep it simple and turn it around.
Shubman Gill: We wanted to bowl first too, but now much due here. We have one change. Prasidh comes in place of Sai Kishore. Hopefull we keep our intensity with the ball. The job is not done and hopefull three good games from here.
Gill and Gaikwad are out in the middle
It's a sea of yellow in Ahmedabad as we build up to the toss. Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be out in the middle for the coin flip.
Sanju Samson vs Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada in the Powerplay could just be the decisive factor here. Rabada has been phenomenal this season in the PPs and his numbers against Samson have been equally good too.
Samson vs Rabada: Innings - 5, Runs: 37, Dismissals: 3, Bat SR: 132.14, AVE: 12.33
Samson vs Siraj: Innings - 8, Runs: 41, Dismissals: 3, Bat SR: 100, AVE: 13.66
"First of all, it's a red soil pitch. Whether that means anything to you or not, we'll soon find out. Boundary-wise, 62 metres to my right. 70 metres to my left. Much bigger hit on that side. Down the ground, 72 metres," says Graeme Swann
Aaron Finch adds: First thing I noticed when I came and had a look at this wicket is there is a beautiful covering of grass on it, and the thing that I love about this is that it's rolled into the surface. So what that means to me is that this is going to be a beautiful wicket for batting. Having the green grass just showing through slightly to me means that it'll hold enough pace in it. Batters will be able to play their shots. They'll be able to use their pace. Also, take it down the ground.
There doesn't look to be any spin. It's very hard. I think it'll go through quite nicely for the quicks. It'll carry through quite nicely. So I'm expecting to see runs.
Former India batter Wasim Jaffer has stressed Ruturaj Gaikwad to up his aggression and not merely rely on Sanju Samson to do the heavy lifting.
“I think he needs to get into that attacking mode a little bit more. He just can’t rely that Sanju is going to score the bulk of the runs in the powerplay. He needs to show that intent. That intent then goes to the other batters," Jaffer said in an ESPNcricinfo show.
"And if he wants to bat like that (defensive), then I believe Urvil should open the batting. And he should bat No. 3 or maybe No. 4. Bat after powerplay and pace the innings accordingly. I want CSK to win to make it interesting.”
Sanju Samson has had an above-par initiation with CSK, but has faltered in recent matches where the team expected the top order to fire in unison. The indifferent form of Ruturaj Gaikwad has not helped but CSK will hope that Samson can wade through the Powerplay and bat long tonight, as he did in the World Cup final two months ago. Samson will have his task cut out against the high pace of the GT bowlers.
With his unique back-and-back trigger movement and exaggerated backlift, Samson has been susceptible to high pace that skids through the length. He would also need to watch out for the pace-off deliveries, like the one Pat Cummins employed to fox him in the previous match.
The upsides of the high backswing and backfoot trigger are huge, so are the potential kryptonites.
There isn't a logical conclusion where CSK may require MS Dhoni to be up and running on the field anymore. Sure, the brains behind the stumps are unparalleled, but by all means, there are discernible limitations even for MSD.
“I can confirm Dhoni is not here () with the team, but if we do happen to qualify, he’ll definitely join back up with the squad. He’s got a bit of a sore thumb. He’s recovering nicely, but he won’t be ready for this match. If we manage to get through to the playoffs, hopefully he’ll be alright,” batting coac Michael Hussey said on match eve.
Even as GT's stocks beyond the top-three are brittle, Washington Sundar has arrested a steep slide in quality below the top order with a rejuvenated batting role at No. 4 for the Titans this season. Not only has his productivity in terms of runs gone up, Sundar has also brought greater striking efficiency with it this time. Nearly a third of his entire IPL career runs have come htis year --- 296 at 42.28 ave and 150-plus SR. READ MORE
GT predicted XII: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Jos Buttler (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, R Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj
CSK predicted XII: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary
Despite a dismal first half of the season where they won just three of the first seven games, the Gujarat Titans completely defied the raging blueprint of a modern T20 powerhouse. They lacked explosive openers, powerhouse middle-order finishers, or a genuinely terrifying batting lineup beyond the class of the top three. Remarkably, their formula remains exactly the same, and here they are vying for a top-two finish in the final week of the league stages. READ how old-fashioned GT remain an outlier
Five teams, one spot. Here's what each team in the hunt for the last Playoffs spot needs in the final week
RR: All RR need to do after annihilating Lucknow Super Giants in a 221-run chase is win their final game against the Mumbai Indians and reach 16 points. A defeat could prove fatal.
PBKS: Punjab will need a win in their final match against LSG and also hope that KKR overhaul them with a win and better NRR. Moreover, they will need RR to lose their final game.
KKR: An RR defeat, a thumping win over DC and a PBKS slip-up will boost KKR's chances for a miraculous qualification.
CSK: A rare string of defeats to RR, PBKS and KKR in their final games plus a big win tonight in Ahmedabad.
DC: DC will need a miracle to pull themselves up into the top-four, requiring all of the aforementioned sides to lose their last games and a big win over KKR to boost their NRR.
During their early run of losses this year, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming admitted that he hadn't spent as much time every before as now in trying to learn the evolving dynamics of T20 cricket. But a slew of wins and a comeback had spurred hope before outdated tactics put CSK on the brink yet again. When asked about his future with the franchise at the fag end of yet another season, Fleming had only simple response to give. Back to the management... READ MORE
Ruturaj Gaikwad's ill-fated season couldn't have gone worse than during his knock at the crease in a high-stakes, must-win match before his home CSK crowd in Chennai. After taking a mighty risk in batting first in a big game at Chepauk, Gaikwad's slow-poke 15 off 21 deliveries crushed CSK's hopes of an above-par total. Not only did it leave his opening partner Sanju Samson under immense pressure to up the scoring, but the mantle in the middle-overs also fell on Gaikwad's teammates. It has been a forgettable run altogether. No batter has a lower scoring rate in the Powerplays than he does this season. As much as CSK will take this edition as a major learning curve, their skipper will have to absorb a harsh reality that his T20 approach will need a sharp recalibration.
In the end, MS Dhoni was reduced to a mere shadow of himself on the CSK sidelines over the last two months. No game time, barely any glimpses in the dug-out and a minimal role in tactics and decision-making. And while the CSK cavalry fight it out to keep their hopes alive after suffering an SRH hammering at home, Dhoni will be watching the updates tonight from his home, back in Ranchi. READ MORE
Chennai Super Kings Squad: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary, Matthew Short, Sarfaraz Khan, Aman Khan, Gurjapneet Singh, Akash Madhwal, Zakary Foulkes, MS Dhoni, Matt Henry, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Chahar, Kuldip Yadav, Macneil Noronha, Dian Forrester
Gujarat Titans Squad: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Rahul Tewatia, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Prasidh Krishna, Kulwant Khejroliya, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Luke Wood, Shahrukh Khan, Manav Suthar, Kumar Kushagra, Gurnoor Brar, Ashok Sharma, Connor Esterhuizen
Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the 66th match of the season. Both Gujarat and Chennai will enter the Ahmedabad cauldron with contrasting purposes. A Playoffs spot sealed, GT will aim to make it one better by ensuring a Qualifier 1 cushion with a win tonight. It's all a battle of surival for CSK tonight. Standing on the brink, the best they can do for themselves is a thumping win against the hosts.
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