Former Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Tom Moody said he was surprised to see Gujarat Titans lose to Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League 2023 final on Monday at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Speaking on ESPNCricinfo, Moody said, “I must admit I was surprised to see GT lose this final. They were my favorites going into it. They had most bases covered in all departments; their batting so strong and diverse and deep. They were also probably the most consistent side throughout the whole season, winning the most amount of games.”
CSK equaled Mumbai India’s record of five IPL titles after Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side triumphed in a last-ball thriller in a rain curtailed match, beating champions GT by five wickets.
Put into bat, Gujarat racked up 214-4 after their number three batter Sai Sudharsan capitalised on a strong start and smashed an incendiary 96 off 47 balls that included six sixes.
Chasing a revised target of 171 from 15 overs after a lengthy rain interruption, openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway started well for CSK to put the Yellow Army on the front foot. However, Noor Ahmad pulled things back for GT with two crucial wickets in the middle overs.
Chennai survived in the end after Mohit Sharma, who had picked up three wickets in the match, was blasted for a six and a four in the last over by Ravindra Jadeja.