Watch: Ruturaj Gaikwad Survives As Darshan Nalkande Takes His Wicket Off A No-Ball, Hits A Six On Free Hit

In the crucial Qualifier match of IPL 2023, the Chennai Super Kings are facing off against the defending champions, the Gujarat Titans. After winning the toss, the Gujarat Titans elected to field first. However, luck favoured CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad as he was given a fortunate second chance when he got out but was saved by a criminal no-ball bowled by young Vidarbha pacer Darshan Nalkande. Seizing the opportunity, Gaikwad capitalized on the reprieve and unleashed consecutive boundaries. Gaikwad has displayed a fondness for batting against Gujarat, having achieved four half-centuries in all four matches against the GT team.

Gaikwad: From_ to _

A twist of fate sees Ruturaj maximize with the bat in #GTvCSK __#IPLPlayOffs #IPLonJioCinema #IPL2023 #TATAIPL | @ChennaiIPL pic.twitter.com/dOfabAaXTS

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) May 23, 2023

On the third ball of the 10th over, Mohit Sharma delivers the ball to Gaikwad, who ends up getting caught by Miller. It was a miscued pull shot, and Ruturaj's attempt ended with him finding the fielder at long-on. The delivery from Mohit was a hard length, causing trouble for Ruturaj as it bounced more than expected. His positioning for the pull shot wasn't ideal, resulting in the ball striking high on the bat and providing an easy catch for Miller stationed at long-on. This wicket was much-needed for the Titans, as the partnership between Gaikwad and his batting partner was beginning to gain momentum after a solid start

Earlier, Gujarat Titans won the toss and opted to bowl first against Chennai Super Kings. The winner of the match will directly qualify to the final whereas the losing side will get another opportunity to compete in the Qualifier 2, to be held on May 24 in Ahmedabad.

Also Read: MS Dhoni's Powerplay: CSK Skipper Unleashes Classic Six In Nets Ahead Of IPL 2023 Qualifier 1, Video Goes Viral

The Titans skipper Hardik Pandya said that his side has made one change with Darshan Nalkande coming in place of Yash Dayal while CSK are unchanged.

"We will bowl first. We heard dew will come, so we want to know what exactly to chase down. We were told to relax after getting into the top-2, but we didn't want, want to stay focussed and play good cricket. We are a smart team, we don't play only one way, we make sure to get the best out of the wicket and have adapted. Darshan Nalkande comes in place of Yash Daya," Pandya said at the toss.

On the other hand, CSK skipper M.S. Dhoni said: "We wanted to bowl first, the reason being they're an excellent chasing side. We've exploited the conditions slightly better, in a tournament like this, the boys have adapted really well. It's important to back your strengths, the confidence level should be high."

"They've been able to do that and that's why we have done well. There was a lot of dew in the last game, but with the breeze around, we can't say about it tonight, but it does look dry," said Dhoni.

Playing XIs:

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(wk/c), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana

Substitutes: Matheesha Pathirana, Michell Santner, Shubhranshu Senapati, Sahik Rashid, Akash Singh

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha(wk), Hardik Pandya (c), Dasun Shanaka, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Darshan Nalkande, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami

Substitutes: Vijay Shankar, Srikar Bharat, Jayant Yadav, Sai Sudharsan, Shivam Mavi