CSK vs GT Highlights, IPL final: Match to be played on May 29 after rain washes out play on Sunday

Play has been called off. For the first time in the history of the IPL, the final has been moved to a reserve day. Both teams will battle for the silverware on Monday. It has stopped raining in Ahmedabad but the umpires did not deem the conditions safe enough to start the match.

That would be all from our side. Thanks for joining us.

Rod Tucker: “12:06 AM is the latest time we can start and the groundsmen has sort of given us an hour to mop up the ground. So if it’s still raining at 11 o’clock, we are in a lot of trouble.”

It is still raining in Ahmedabad, and we have started losing overs now.

Rains are back in Ahmedabad! That kind of an evening....

Rain relents. The supper soppers are out. We are just 30 mins away from the cut-off time for a full game. The players are out on the field.

We are hearing that it has stopped raining in Ahmedabad! Scratch that, the showers are back! Must say it is not looking good at the moment. We’re also less than 60 minutes away from the cut-off time for a full game.

There’s rain forecast for tomorrow as well... in case, you were wondering

Gujarat Titans will be declared champion by virtue of having finished first in the league stage. It will become the third team to win back-to-back IPL titles.

While we wait for the rains to relent, here’s the low-down on the pitch for tonight: Simon Doull & Matthew Hayden: “We are right in the center of the stadium, 66m away to the leg-side, 66 away to the off-side. Some big pockets, 73, 72, and 74, and downtown it is 74 as well. I believe it is a bat-first condition in finals, there might be a few overhead conditions that might change the mind of the captains at the toss. There are not a lot of turns here, but maybe, through the middle, these world-class spinners get a little grip as well. Bat first, if you really do, you gotta go really big, so 180-190 should probably be a par score. This wicket hasn’t been really quite as good as no. 7, this is the no. 6, it hasn’t produced quite the numbers, but if you bat first, bat well, do the job right, and you might be good enough”

Toss is set to be delayed. No overs will be lost till 9.35 pm. There is a reserve day tomorrow. The cut-off for a 5-over-a-side is 12.06 am tomorrow.

There is forecast for rain in tonight’s match. Will the weather play spoilsport? We will have to wait and watch.

Predicted CSK Team: Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana

Predicted GT Team: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudarshan, Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, Josh Little

Ambati Rayudu has announced that ​he will retire from IPL​ after tonight’s final. Four years ago, Rayudu had made a U-turn after announcing his retirement. He had sent an email to the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) saying his decision to retire was an “emotional one” and that he was “willing to play in all formats of the game” again.

Can he sign off with a sixth IPL title?

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MS Dhoni will become the first player to appear in 250 IPL matches during tonight’s final. Dhoni will also become the first player to appear in 11 IPL finals since 2008. Dhoni has appeared in 10 finals as captain besides a solitary appearance for Rising Pune Supergiant in the 2017 final against Mumbai Indians.

“We have been confident when we have chased, but we have also defended some probably par and below-par total totals. Our bowling attack has, at times, played its part too. Not just this year but last year as well. So it’s not just the case that if we chase then we are more competitive..”

GT director of cricket Vikram Solanki

“We are realistic about how difficult it is to get to this stage. That’s why we are proud of our record of being consistent over a period of time. We have been able to put performances together under pressure when we have been in form or out of form or when we have got new players. The greatest challenge of this competition is when you get a new team that’s going really well and you have got to disband and you can only keep four players. The fact that we have been able to stay consistent with those rules in place is something we look back very proudly on.”

CSK head coach Stephen Fleming

Chennai Super Kings 1 - 3 Gujarat Titans

Gujarat Titans Squad: Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya(c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami, Joshua Little, Srikar Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Odean Smith, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Pradeep Sangwan, Matthew Wade, Jayant Yadav, Dasun Shanaka, Abhinav Manohar, Alzarri Joseph, Darshan Nalkande, Urvil Patel, Yash Dayal

Chennai Super Kings Squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Shivam Dube, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Akash Singh, Ben Stokes, Dwaine Pretorius, Sisanda Magala, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, RS Hangargekar, Bhagath Varma, Nishant Sindhu

Two months since their opening encounter, CSK and GT will meet on an equal footing in the grand finale at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. They sparred in Qualifier 1 just days ago in Chennai, a match CSK won by 15 runs. But it’s the summit clash that will have a definitive feel to it, for it will crown this season’s best.

Here’s N. Sudarshan’s match preview from Ahmedabad: ​​READ​​