Sudharsan's 87 and Rabada's 3 for 25 sink CSK at Chepauk as Gujarat win by eight wickets
There has been a question hanging over Sai Sudharsan all season, and on Sunday night at Chepauk he answered it for the second match in a row.
Two days after his maiden IPL 2026 hundred against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the left-hander made 87 from 46 balls to take Gujarat Titans home by eight wickets in a chase of 159. Kagiso Rabada had already done the heavy lifting with the ball, finishing with 3 for 25 from his four overs and walking off with the player of the match award. Chennai Super Kings, who came into this game on the back of three wins in four, slipped to sixth in the table. Gujarat moved to fifth.
Rabada inside the first four overs
Gujarat had won the toss and chosen to field. Inside four overs the decision looked like a problem. Sanju Samson, who had two centuries in his last four, edged behind for 11. Urvil Patel, his opening partner, went for 4 in the same Rabada over. CSK were 25 for 2 with the powerplay barely warm, and the South African was getting the new ball to climb on a surface that had not done that for the home side in three weeks.
Ruturaj Gaikwad had to rebuild from the other end and did, finishing 74 not out from 60 balls and dragging Chennai to 158 for 7. Kartik Sharma chipped in with a quick 15 before Rabada had him too. Akash Madhwal, the bowler CSK had signed on April 23 as their Ayush Mhatre replacement, was not in the eleven.
Sudharsan in the form of his life
A target of 159 at Chepauk is a contest. Not when Sudharsan is batting like this. He went after spin and pace from the first over, brought up his half-century from 33 balls, and put on 97 for the second wicket with Jos Buttler after Shubman Gill had got Gujarat off to a 58-run start before falling for 33.
The shot selection has changed. Sudharsan was caught by Dewald Brevis in the deep on 87 trying to clear the ropes for an eighth six. He had four fours and seven sixes in his 46 balls, which is an extraordinary ratio for a player who started the season with 135 runs from his first six matches. Buttler walked off 39 not out from 33 with Washington Sundar, and Gujarat were home in 16.4 overs.
Where this leaves both sides
Two days, two innings of 87 and 100, and Sudharsan now has the look of a man who could carry GT into the playoff conversation. He is already the fastest to 2,000 IPL runs after the RCB game on Friday, having got there in 47 innings and pushed Chris Gayle's old mark off the table.
For Chennai it is a heavier night than the scoreline suggests. The Samson run had given them a real second life and Sunday was the chance to back it up at home against a Gujarat side that had looked thin outside Gill. Instead CSK were second best from over four onwards. The bowling never recovered from the Sudharsan onslaught and the batting never put a total beyond GT's reach. With the playoff cut moving every week, three days off and a road trip to come, this was a costly evening at home.
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