Live blog - Chennai Super Kings vs Gujarat Titans - Ravindra, Dube seal big win for CSK

The new faces of the Chennai Super Kings impressed against the team that they took down in the IPL 2023 final, signalling that the post-MS Dhoni era could also be filled with lots of success.

Rachin Ravindra (46 off 20), Shivam Dube (51 off 23), Sameer Rizvi (14 off 6) and the captain Ruturaj Gaikwad himself (46 off 36) led them to a total of 206, which proved plenty more than enough for a bowling attack that is also undergoing change.

For the second game running, Chepauk offered no wickets to the home team's spinners. Instead, it was the fast bowlers led by Deepak Chahar (2 for 28) and Tushar Deshpande (2 for 21) who did all the damage. The times, they be a'changin.

Miller's wicket has allowed CSK to build immense pressure. These are the six overs between 12 and 17.

How do Gujarat Titans always find a way to win matches even though the team doesn’t look so strong on paper?
Pathan: I think Gujarat is a very strong side and they have different players for different situations. I don’t think here are not many weak links. If you have Rashid Khan in your side, you know you’re doing really well. [He is one of] the guys who can bowl at the death, he can bowl in any given situation. He can bowl against proper set batters as well. Plus they have a good setup. See in franchise cricket it is very important that the team environment stays very relaxed. And I think when I see Gujarat Titans, apart from the different players and the different match-winners, they have a very good setup, as far as the franchise is concerned.

From the three original franchises yet to win the IPL – Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals and RCB – who will break the duck first?
Pathan: I would want Punjab, but I think it will be RCB

Do you think RCB should drop Alzarri and play Lockie?
Pathan: No. Lockie has tried a lot in IPL but his economy rate is very high. Alzarri also has a very high ER but he has looked in better rhythm. So they should stick with him.

Ajinkya Rahane take a bow!

He's out there on the midwicket boundary which is a serious hot spot and he proves why he needs to be there.

David Miller brings out the helicopter. A near yorker that was meant to be a dot ball is suddenly flying towards the leg side boundary.

Rahane tracks it as it flies fast and flat, moving to his right, all the while keeping his eyes on it, and because he has had his eyes on it all the while, his body responds to the signals its getting and he leaps forward at the last minute to grab the ball, hands and body suddenly in a sideways pose, which helps him because when he hits the ground, he its it with his back instead of his elbows, which often cause the ball to pop out of the hands.

CSK are doing very un-CSK things this year. Different captain. New guys getting debuts immediately and showing themselves off. A fast pitch.

What was your experience of playing under MS Dhoni’s captaincy?
Pathan: It has always been marvelous, a lot of fun. Yes at the end, I would have liked to have played more games than I did under him, but I certainly had a good time, especially at the start of his captaincy tenure. What I enjoy is theless complications. Sometimes as a leader you can make things very complicated, but he was black and white. And with him there is role clarity. Even though my role was different under him, I used to be a new ball bowler but under him I started coming first change at times, etc, I at least had some clarity. When you have some clarity, you perform.

All young batters have seen a dip in their strike rate the season they have been named captain. Why is this trend there and will we see the same with Gill and Gaikwad?
Pathan: With Gill especially, we don’t associate a big strike rate with him. Last year he had a fantastic strike rate. But before that season his strike rate in T20s was 127. So he has always been a guy who takes his time, thinks about batting long. So I don’t think that’s the case with him. Ruturaj Gaikwad is the kind of player who looks for a big strike rate, score quick runs. Today, Rachin was taking an aggressive approach. But I think Ruturaj was also waiting for Rashid Khan, who has played very well. So I don’t think it will affect these guys.

When Titans lost their last wicket in the eighth over, their chances of victory according to our Forecaster was down at 3.49. They've managed to pump it up to double-digits. And they have a fabled history of pulling off improbable chases. Improbable things really. They stopped Mumbai from scoring 60-odd in the last eight overs a couple of days ago. Mumbai! With their endless power-hitting!

How much does it help young players when they have a good debut like Sameer Rizvi?
Pathan: Immensely because suddenly you start feeling the confidence. Because no matter what you have done before coming into the IPL in domestic cricket or wherever, you always have a doubt in your head as a young player. And when you suddenly come and hit a six off a match winner like Rashid Khan, you start believing in yourself. Of course you have a support system like CSK have there is nothing like going out there and doing what you do like he did. It is of utmost importance to start really well.

Is Daryl Mitchell the new Mike Hussey for CSK?
Pathan: It’s actually more of a Rayudu than Mike Hussey, because Hussey used to open and Mitchell is batting in the middle order. And he is playing spin well and he is coming and playing aggressively as well. I know for an overseas guy it is different but he is actually going to play that kind of role.

The Chepauk crowd is yet to see him bat, but he's treating them to a masterclass from behind the stumps.

Big dive to his right, taking the catch low with both hands, and coming up to be mobbed by kids who were learning what 2+2 is in school when he began doing this schtick.

Daryl Mitchell gets an IPL wicket. Titans 55 for 3 in the 8th over in a chase of 207.

CSK became the third team this season to start with three overseas players. Is that a smart strategy?
Pathan: It’s a very good strategy. This impact rule allows you to play 12 players. With CSK it’s no surprise. They know how to use their resources. They have a very good plan for each and every player. Like Rizvi today. He came at a time when there was very little pressure. Even if he got out to Rashid Khan, no one would say anything. But it allowed him to express himself. So they know how to use their resources. So I’m not surprised about their use of overseas players.

What do you think of having two bouncers in an over? And does it benefit bowlers who like to go pace-on or those who prefer variations like cutters?
Pathan: I love this rule, there’s something for bowlers. There are so many rules only for batters. Now the rules are coming in with something for the bowlers. Especially in T20 cricket, guys who use variations can get a lot of benefits. Pace-on bowlers, the bouncers can take outside edges, etc. So it will hugely benefit bowlers with variations.

Which Indian fast bowler will have a breakout season?
Pathan: Very excited for Mohsin Khan, provided he plays all the games. I think Yash Dayal was very impressive especially on that pitch, swinging the ball the way he did. In the first few overs, he put his senior partner Siraj behind him. As I always believe, left is right. So any gun left-armer.. I want to see with Yash Dayal, how he does when he is under the pump. After wat has happened last year, there will always be question marks. So it is important for him to have a couple of games under pressure.

Was Rachin Ravindra the biggest steal of the IPL 2024 auction?
Pathan: Hasaranga hasn’t played yet, so I’ll just wait for him to play six-seven games. But Rachin Ravindra is a great buy for that kind of value. Lot of people thought he would get big bucks because of the World Cup he had. He is the kind of player who will be there for a long time, especially in T20 cricket despite the numbers he had in the format before the auction. I think he is great value for money.

He took a blow to the helmet.

Took a breather as he was checked for concussion.

Next ball, it's only back of a length, but he helps it straight to deep square leg.

The two bouncers an over rule is definitely making an impact this IPL.

Chahar uses the second one to keep Vijay Shankar on his toes.

The extra pace on this Chennai pitch - while it might have taken away the effectiveness of the variations - has certainly helped the quick bowlers be far more menacing when they go into the wicket at top pace.

Shows what I know, the wicket is a slower ball! A leg cutter.

He goes back of a length and there's been this thing that's happened both in the first game at Chepauk and here now - occasionally one scoots low.

Gill is done by that one as he looks to pull the ball but misjudges the bounce and is trapped in front. It was not a grubber. But it did upset a batter who has looked in rhythm this season. That usually means some mischief has happened.

Another sign that this is no longer the Chepauk of the past.

Deepak Chahar in his second over went for two slower balls. Once he deceived the batter, but Wriddhiman Saha still got a boundary, because the ball after pitching didn't really lose pace. It still came onto the bat and even though the shot - a loft over mid-off ended up - was played off balance - it skipped away.

More ominously, the next slower ball that Chahar tried, the batter didn't even lose shape. It skidded onto Saha who pulled it handsomely away. The fun that this place was for off-pace bowlers might just be a thing of the past.

Ravindra's blazing start. Dube's assault on the GT spinners. Sameer Rizvi's surprise cameo.

If this is new CSK, we've got some special stuff in store for the next few years.

But in walks Sameer Rizvi - ahead of MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja, batting for the first time in the IPL, on the back of an INR 8.4 crore deal, to face Rashid - and he sweeps him for six straight away. What a moment! He's taken the world's greatest T20 bowler for 14 runs. He was doing this in the Uttar Pradesh T20 league. But to do it, at this level is just incredible!

It always helps removing the set batter in the death overs.

Rashid goes for his googly and its wide outside off.

Dube gets 68% of his runs against spin on the leg side. Rashid is asking Dube to do something different.

Its such a bad mis-hit that he's caught inside the 30 yard circle at cover.

He has been outstanding for CSK, and CSK have been outstanding in using him.

India could very well take a leaf out of their book and take him along to the T20 World Cup in the West Indies where the pitches may very well be slow and spin-friendly.

A guy who can hit Rashid and Narine for sixes is a massive asset in the middle overs. And like today, he can mess with teams' plans. GT haven't been able to bowl Rashid's full four overs because Dube's still out there.

Tall guy. Uses all his reach. Immense power. Perhaps the single greatest success story for role clarity in T20 cricket

Mohit Sharma is such a boss. He knows he doesn't have all that much pace. He knows that means he can be easily lined up. So all he has to go on from there is to be unpredictable. He does that with his slower balls. But there are others who have gone down this route and aren't quite so successful - Harshal Patel, for example, has been found out.

Mohit though is still doing the tough job and he's doing it well. Because in addition to the slower ball, he also keeps varying his lengths and his lines. Look at that pitch map. Look at how he keeps trying things against the right-hander, never letting them line him up, and crucially never letting them target the leg side. When he's going full, he's going outside off, so if they want leg side, they have to drag him and that doesn't always work. When he is going straight, he pulls the length back, to cramp them up.

Against the left-hander, look at how careful he is about not giving Dube any room outside off, and threfore the chance to free his arms

Dube's presence at the crease is throwing off GT's plans.

This is the stage where they'd have wanted Rashid and Sai Kishore to deal with things.

Not Johnson, who might be needed at the death. Johnson's gone through three overs already, the third bowled in the hope that he might take Dube out. But all that happens is Dube smashing him around too.

Rashid's going at 11 an over. Sai Kishore is going at 9. They each still have an over left. And spin-hitter Dube is still at the crease.

These were Spencer Johnson's two overs in his first match

These are Spencer Johnson's two overs in this match

Safe to say, there's something about this guy. Gaikwad gone. CSK losing momentum. After overs that went for 12 and 15, they've only managed 7 and 2.

CSK have a loooooooong batting line-up. Eric Simmons, their bowling coach, spoke about it at the end of the last match, where they are encouraging everyone to shed any inhibition they might have and just keep going for it. The emphasis is on them playing as themselves - "Ajinkya Rahane should play like Ajinkya Rahane, not like Chris Gayle." Pick your method and use it. Doesn't matter if you fail. And that kind of instruction is the reason why an over that began with Rahane's wicket has yielded 15 runs. Dube needed only two balls to collect almost as many runs as Sai Kishore had conceded across two full overs (13).

Ruturaj Gaikwad against pace is just baller.

He is comfortable on both the front foot and the back foot.

And now that he's set, he's unafraid to loft the ball.

Spencer Johnson, who bowls 145 kph, began with a short ball but he was met with a full-blooded pull shot that went WAY in front of square. That says Gaikwad picked the length early and he absolutely nailed it. There was a fielder on the midwicket boundary. His still going for that shot says he backs himself against pace whether they come running in with protection or not.

The over ends with a straight four, just one-bounce. What do you do when you face someone that good? Take pace off.

Deivarayan Muthu, from the ground, says the Rachiiiiin, Rachin chants are in full swing.

So Titans have turned to their trump card, Rashid Khan. He doesn't normally bowl in the powerplay and this is why. Ravindra greets him with a boundary.

He's gone though. 46 off 20, 6x4s, 3x6s, basically hitting a boundary every two balls faced. Titans have the breather they came to Rashid looking for. Though the wicket should go to Saha because he was alert to the ball dribbling down towards him and he flicked the bails off in a flash. Reflexes of a 19-year old, not 39 as his player profile says.

CSK were taking on a lot of dot balls before Rachin Ravindra got going.

IPL debuts can often be unnerving - some of the biggest international names have had harsh initiations into the IPL - but Ravindra's was nerveless. After taking the catches of both Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli in the hotspots at the boundary, he tore up the powerplay with the bat, in CSK's chase of 174 against RCB. With his hairstyle and athleticism, you could easily mistake him for another Ravindra from CSK - Jadeja, wrote Deivarayan Muthu in the lead-up to this game.

Titans should be struggling with the new ball after losing Mohammed Shami.

But in both games, they've maximised on Azmatullah Omarzai's strengths - which is moving the new ball- and he gets it to go both ways. "He's a great talent," says his international team-mate Rashid Khan. "I'm sure after this IPL he will be totally changed and his cricket is going to be more improved."

Shubman Gill brought Omarzai straight into the attack and he took out Ishan Kishan for a duck against Mumbai.

He could have had Ruturaj Gaikward for 1 here had Sai Kishore at slip held onto a straightforward chance at first slip.

Loads of pace and bounce on the pitch. It feels like that surprised the fielder.

We have a special treat for you guys later tonight. Irfan Pathan will be joining us on the ESPNcricinfo Live Report.

From Deivarayan Muthu at the ground: The Chepauk pitch that was used on Friday was an atypical one, with not much turn on offer for the spinners. Instead, the ball slid on to the bat nicely, especially in the early exchanges. Believe it or not, CSK's spinners didn't take a single wicket in the season-opener. It was only the second instance of CSK's spinners going wicketless at Chepauk since May 2015.

Speaking on his Youtube channel, R Ashwin felt that the current pitches are a throwback to the quick, bouncy ones in 2010. In that season, CSK had started with four seamers - Albie Morkel, L Balaji, Justin Kemp and Sudeep Tyagi. Today, CSK have strengthened their pace bowling even further by pairing Pathirana up with Mustafizur. Ashwin also credited the curator, Ramesh Kumar, for relaying the red-soil pitches, which now offer more bounce. During the season-opener, Faf suggested it was a typical Chennai pitch at the toss, but the way it behaved surprised quite a few.

Two new captains still getting used to the job and it becomes clear as Gill says bat first, and then immediately strikes it off and goes bowl first.

That might be a nod to how the pitch behaved in the first match - it had pace and bounce and a former Super King Matthew Hayden mentioned that this surface has grass on it so it will come onto the bat nicely too. Plus, one side of the ground is shorter than the other. 68m vs 64m. So that'll be hard to defend while bowling second.

CSK: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), 2 Rachin Ravindra, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Sameer Rizvi, 8 MS Dhoni (wk), 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Tushar Deshpande
Subs: Matheesha Pathirana, Shardul Thakur, Shaikh Rashid, Nishant Sindhu, Mitchell Santner

Titans: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Azmatullah Omarzai, 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 David Miller, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Umesh Yadav, 9 R Sai Kishore, 10 Spencer Johnson, 11 Mohit Sharma
Subs: Sai Sudharsan, BR Sharath, Abhinav Manohar, Manav Suthar, Noor Ahmad

Andha naal, nyabagam... (Memories of that day...)