Ravindra Jadeja regains love of CSK fans as blockbuster IPL 2023 gets fitting finale

A little over 60 days since Gujarat Titans (GT) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) kickstarted the season at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) reached its conclusion with those very teams squaring off in the final at the same venue.

GT skipper Hardik Pandya had entered the tournament opener on 31 March with the trophy in his hands, and in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, he would hand it over to CSK leader MS Dhoni. Along the way, the tournament witnessed first-hand just how revolutionary the Impact Player rule could be as it resulted in more 200-plus scores being produced this year than in any other edition, and more matches going down the wire than ever.

Read | CSK stun Gujarat Titans to clinch record-equalling fifth title

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A season this thrilling deserved a send-off of epic proportions in the form of a riveting contest between two of the top-billed sides. The fickle Ahmedabad weather, however, went a long way in trying to spoil that both for players as well as for fans.

Not only would it force the final to be shifted to the reserve day for the first time in the history of the league, but it would also hold up play for a substantial amount of time the following day. There was also the possibility of GT being handed the trophy as a last resort on the basis of finishing higher on the points table in case the reserve day also got washed out, which would have been as disappointing a climax as the final season of Game of Thrones.

Thankfully for everyone involved, the match officials managed to squeeze in 35 overs of high-octane cricketing action despite all the delays, even if it meant that the post-match formalities went on past 3 am Indian Standard Time.

There were a number of notable moments during the course of the final that ended up spanning three days. Dhoni became the first to complete 250 caps in the league. GT opener Shubman Gill would get another early reprieve and appeared set to punish CSK for the lapse until getting stumped by Dhoni in just 0.1 seconds. Wriddhiman Saha would then bring back shades of 2014 by slamming his second half-century of the season, rising to the occasion in the biggest game of them all.

The spotlight in the Gujarat innings however, would fall on B Sai Sudharsan, with a Tamilian leading the way for Gujarat against Chennai with a breath-taking 47-ball 96 that helped the defending champions post a formidable 214/4.

Later in the evening, veteran pacer Mohit Sharma would nearly bowl Gujarat to victory for a second consecutive game, collecting three crucial wickets including that of Dhoni, who departed for a golden duck.

In the end, all of those moments would be overshadowed by two magical shots from all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja off the last two deliveries of the final over, with a Gujarati ironically helping Chennai end Gujarat’s hold on the trophy.

Jadeja finally gets the Yellow Army’s love

The fans’ love for CSK and their leader Dhoni has been among the highlights of the 16th season, with all venues besides the MA Chidambaram Stadium getting bathed in yellow for Chennai’s matches. The reverence for Dhoni, however, appeared to have taken a toll on Jadeja, whose dismissals were often cheered both home and away, for his slow walk to the dugout would be accompanied by MSD making his way to the centre to a roaring reception.

Jadeja, not the kind of individual who would hold himself back or shy away from expressing his feelings, took indirect potshots at said fans through cryptic social media posts. Fans had even begun speculating Jadeja’s exit from the franchise after he was spotted having an animated discussion with CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan after the Qualifier 1 clash against GT in Chennai. Things, it seemed, weren’t as rosy in the CSK dressing room as their fans would have imagined.

After batting a majority of the season above Dhoni, Jadeja would be held back as the captain walked out ahead of him, only to make a quick return to the dugout after steering a full delivery from Mohit straight into the hands of David Miller at extra cover.

Chennai had earlier got off to a cracking start after their target was revised to 171 in 15, with Ruturaj Gaikwad (26) and Devon Conway (47) sharing a 74-run opening stand before both would end up getting dismissed by Noor Ahmad in the seventh over. Cameos from Ajinkya Rahane (27 off 13) and Ambati Rayudu (19 off 8) would keep them afloat in the contest, with the latter’s assault on Mohit massively boosting Chennai’s chances of going over the line.

The thrilling finale was by no means done with its share of twists and turns as Mohit would dismiss Rayudu and Dhoni with two superb deliveries and then concede just three runs off four deliveries after being handed the responsibility of the final over with the equation reading 13 off six.

Jadeja was on strike for the last two deliveries and the odds were heavily stacked against him. This was after all a veteran all-rounder whose strike rate had been a bit of a concern in recent outings — only once did the southpaw score at more than 140 in the four innings before the final. And even the well-set Shivam Dube was struggling to collect boundaries off Mohit’s inch-perfect yorkers.

Jadeja, though, would live up to his ‘Rockstar’ nickname that was bestowed upon him by the late Shane Warne back during his run with the Rajasthan Royals and exhibit nerves of steel as he faced Mohit — arguably the standout bowler of the season given his strike rate and the fact that he had been overlooked for a number of games early on.

The seasoned seamer attempted another yorker, only for Jadeja, standing deep in his crease, to get under the ball and clobber it over long on for a maximum. While Dhoni maintained an emotionless expression, his teammates sitting around him in the CSK dugout, along with the vast army of yellow-clad supporters, suddenly found their voice again with the straight hit.

Mohit appeared slightly unsettled by that shot and got into another long discussion, which appears to have had an effect on his rhythm. He would stick to the yorker for the final delivery, only to convert it into a low full toss aimed at Jadeja’s pads that the latter would have no problem tickling away past the man at short fine for the boundary that would clinch their fifth title.

The same crowd that had cheered his dismissal for the majority of the season would end up erupting in unison following his heroic finish, giving him an ovation fit for a champion. The reception from his teammates was no different; he was instantly mobbed by the rest of the squad including support staff. Even ‘Captain Cool’, could barely hide his emotions, lifting Jaddu up in his arms and celebrating as animatedly as he did after the 2013 Champions Trophy triumph.

And if anyone still had any doubts regarding Jadeja’s equations with ‘Thala’ at this point, the man of the hour somewhat cleared the air with one line during the post-match interviews.

“Want to dedicate this win to one of the special members of our team — MS Dhoni.”

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