Indian Premier League, Mumbai: |
Chennai Super Kings 133-5 (20 overs): Gaikwad 53 (49); Shami 2-19 |
Gujarat Titans 137-3 (19.1 overs) Saha 67 (57), Pathirana 2-24 |
Gujarat won by seven wickets with five balls remaining |
Scorecard. Group table |
Gujarat Titans comfortably beat Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League to secure a top-two place.
The Titans, one of two new teams for the 2022 IPL, were already guaranteed a play-off spot but now have an easier path as they try to reach the final.
They held Chennai to 133-5 and then comfortably chased their target with seven wickets and five balls left.
Wriddhiman Saha made 67 not out from 57 balls for Gujarat, while England’s Moeen Ali hit 21 from 17 for CSK.
Behind the leaders, there is a tight battle for the remaining three play-off places after Rajasthan Royals beat Lucknow Super Giants by 24 runs in the evening game to move above their opponents into second.
Jos Buttler, the tournament’s leading run-scorer, was out for two – but 41 from 29 from opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, plus contributions of 39 from Devdutt Padikkal and 32 from captain Sanju Samson, took the Royals to 178-6.
Lucknow lost regular wickets in reply – seamers Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna taking two wickets each – and they ended on 154-8.
Gujarat are the only team through to the play-offs, with several other teams in contention to qualify – Rajasthan and Lucknow on 16 points, fourth-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore on 14, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings all on 12 points and Sunrisers Hyderabad in eighth on 10.
In the play-offs, the top two group-stage finishers meet first, with the winner progressing directly to the final on 29 May.
The third and fourth-placed teams play each other in an eliminator before the winner plays the loser of the first play-off match for the chance to contest the final.