IPL final: Can Gujarat’s Gill spoil Chennai’s Dhoni ‘farewell’?

World
By William

Chennai eye record equals fifth IPL title at home venue of Gujarat, expected to be attended by over 100,000.

A crowd of over 100,000 is expected to fill the largest cricket stadium in the world for the Indian Premier League final and the likely farewell of superstar MS Dhoni.

Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings take on holders Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Sunday, aiming for a record-tying fifth title in the pinnacle of the big-bucks T20 tournament.

But Gujarat, managed by Hardik Pandya, will be no laughing matter playing at their home stadium as they look to retain the title after a fairy tale victory in their debut season a year ago.

Pandya lifted the trophy in front of 101,566 fans at the 132,000 capacity stadium in 2022, a world record for a T20 cricket match. But the organizers were confident that the record would be broken on Sunday evening when, barring a surprise, Dhoni will retire as a player for the last time.

Rising star vs old guard

Chennai is sidelined by Gujarat opener Shubman Gill, fresh from breaking a century – his third in the IPL – in the final play-off on Friday at the same venue.

Gill’s three IPL centuries have all come in his last four innings, his last a brutal 129 off 60 balls to smash five-time winner Mumbai Indians.

“He would certainly be the example you would want to use for young players on how to bat,” Gujarat’s director of cricket and former England batsman Vikram Solanki said of Gill on Saturday.

“If you try to model yourself on a certain player, he has all the qualities of a world-class player.”

And former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar called Gill a “once-in-a-generation player” on the ESPNcricinfo website.

Shubman Gill of Gujarat Titans leads the batting list this IPL season with 851 runs [Ajit Solanki/AP Photo]

‘I can’t afford to dream’

With the home advantage, the bets make the Gujarat team the least favourite, but Pandya remained cautious about their chances.

“We have to play good cricket and give it 100 per cent,” he said.

“Knockouts can go either way.”

Dhoni’s Chennai took second spot after the group stage behind table top Gujarat, but beat the defending champions in the first play-off earlier this week to secure a spot in the final.

“It’s really hard not to look too far ahead and dream of winning it again,” Chennai coach Stephen Fleming told reporters.

“You have to be very aware of what you are going to do against Gujarat, an excellent side, the most consistent side throughout the competition. We can’t afford to dream too much.”

Fans line up to see Dhoni lift trophy ‘one more time’

A media official from the state association told the AFP news agency that “tickets for the grand final are sold out and we are expecting a full house”.

Suresh Babu, a software engineer, told AFP he had traveled from Chennai, on the other side of the country, “to see Dhoni lift the trophy one more time”.

“I know it could be his last but we pray he comes back again next year,” added the 43-year-old, who wore Dhoni’s yellow Chennai jersey.

Dhoni remains a big draw in cricket-mad India and the final is believed to be his last game as a player, despite the wicket-keeper-batsman saying he will make a call about his IPL future later this year.

The former India captain has filled podiums across the country during the current season and the Narendra Modi Stadium will be no different in the final of the tournament.

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