Batting first after losing the toss, Gujarat Titans put up a challenging total of 214/4 on the board. Sai Sudharsan was the star performer for GT, slamming 96 off 47 balls with the aid of eight fours and four sixes. He played some superb strokes to ensure Gujarat crossed the 210-run mark.

Earlier, Wriddhiman Saha (54 off 39) and Shubman Gill (39 off 20) added 67 for the opening wicket. While Saha hit five fours and a six, Gill struck seven fours. The latter was stumped by Dhoni off Jadeja’s bowling, while Saha top-edged a big hit off Chahar. Sudharsan lifted Gujarat even as Hardik Pandya (21 not out off 12) played a nice cameo.

In the revised chase of 171 in 15 overs, Devon Conway (47 off 25) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (26 off 16) added 74 in 6.3 overs. Conway hammered four fours and two sixes, while Gaikwad clubbed three fours and a six. Skipper Dhoni fell for a golden duck, but Shivam Dube (32 not out off 21), Ajinkya Rahane (27 off 13) and the retiring Ambati Rayudu (19 off 8) all made crucial contributions to keep CSK alive, before Jadeja (15 not out off 6) pulled off a fine finishing act.

Speaking after the special win, CK skipper Dhoni answered the million-dollar query over his future. He said, “Looking for an answer? Circumstantially if you see, this is the best time to announce my retirement. But the amount of love and affection I have been shown wherever I have been this year, the easy thing would be for me to say “Thank you very much”, but the tough thing for me is to work hard for another 9 months and come back and play at least 1 more season of IPL.

“A lot depends on the body, I have 6-7 months to decide. It will be more like a gift from my side, it’s not easy for me but that’s a gift. The way they’ve shown their love and affection, I think that’s something I need to do for them,” he signed off.

–By A Cricket Correspondent