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Defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) kickstarted their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 campaign with a five-wicket win against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Ahmedabad on Friday, March 31.
Batting first, CSK posted 178/7 in their stipulated 20 overs. Ruturaj Gaikwad played a blinder of a knock, scoring 92 runs off 50 deliveries, with the help of nine sixes and four boundaries. Moeen Ali (23) and Shivam Dube (19) also chipped in with useful contributions.
Mohammed Shami, Rashid Khan, and Alzarri Joseph picked up two wickets apiece, while Joshua Little returned with one wicket on his debut.
In response, the Titans got off to a blazing start, thanks to Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill. Although Gill lost partners at one end, he kept the team in the hunt with timely boundaries.
Chennai did make a comeback after the 15th over, but Rashid Khan's late blitz, coupled with Rahul Tewatia's sublime finish, took Hardik Pandya and Co. home with four balls to spare.
On that note, let's take a look at three records that were broken during the GT vs CSK match.
#1 Ruturaj Gaikwad hits second-fastest 50 for CSK as an opener
CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad was in excellent form in the IPL 2023 opener against Gujarat Titans. The right-handed batter struck nine maximums and four boundaries for his 50-ball 92-run knock.
In the process, Gaikwad registered a 23-ball 50, which is the second-fastest by a Chennai opener. He is positioned below Matthew Hayden and Dwayne Smith, who reached the landmark in 22 deliveries.
#2 MS Dhoni goes past Adam Gilchrist to be the oldest wicketkeeper to play in IPL
MS Dhoni became the oldest wicketkeeper to feature in the history of the IPL. He was 41 years and 267 days old when he took the field against the Titans on Friday.
The Jharkhand-born cricketer leapfrogged former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, who played his last game at the age of 41 years and 185 days. Wriddhiman Saha is the third oldest gloveman to play at the age of 38 years and 158 days.
#3 MS Dhoni becomes the first CSK player to hit 200 sixes
MS Dhoni provided a late flourish to CSK's innings, scoring an unbeaten 14 off seven deliveries, including a boundary and six. With this, Dhoni became the first player to smash 200 sixes for the Super Kings.
Four other players, including Chris Gayle, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and AB de Villiers, have hammered 200 sixes for a single IPL team. While Gayle, Kohli, and de Villiers achieved the feat for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rohit registered the landmark for Mumbai Indians.
