The pitch offered steep bounce and carry, demanding caution and adaptability from the batters. CSK, however, often went for high-risk strokes without fully reading the conditions, resulting in a series of mistimed shots and soft dismissals.
Asked to bat first, CSK struggled to find any real rhythm. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad stood out with a fighting unbeaten 74 — his first half-century of the IPL 2026 season — adding some respectability to the total in a tournament where 200-plus scores have been common. His knock came off 60 balls and included six fours and four sixes, though it began at a measured pace.
The early pressure was applied by Mohammed Siraj, who extracted sharp bounce and forced the batters into errors. Sanju Samson started cautiously before taking on Kagiso Rabada to reach the 5000-run IPL milestone. But Rabada soon had the last laugh, as Samson edged a delivery behind to Jos Buttler.
That wicket triggered a collapse. Urvil Patel (4) fell in the same over attempting an ambitious shot, while Sarfaraz Khan (0) was undone by Siraj’s extra bounce. At 28 for 3 inside the Powerplay, CSK were already on the back foot.
Gaikwad briefly found support from Dewald Brevis (2), but the South African fell to spinner Manav Suthar after failing to get to the pitch of the ball. With wickets tumbling, Gaikwad was forced into a more cautious approach, which slowed the innings further as dot balls piled up. CSK reached 50 only in the 12th over.
The skipper eventually tried to accelerate, hitting a couple of big sixes off Arshad Khan and Jason Holder, but the late surge wasn’t enough to change the complexion of the innings.
Shivam Dube, who was dropped multiple times on 6, 11 and 22, never quite settled before being bowled by Arshad Khan. Late cameos from Kartik Sharma (15) and Jamie Overton (18) added a few quick runs, but the damage had already been done.
On a surface that rewarded discipline and smart shot selection, Gujarat Titans’ bowlers executed their plans to perfection, while CSK’s batters failed to adjust in time — a factor that ultimately defined their innings.
