Siraj, Rabada star as Gujarat send Chennai home, seal top-two spot in IPL playoffs

Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, and Rashid Khan picked three wickets each as Gujarat Titans (GT) thrashed Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 89 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday, and sealed a top-two finish in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 points table.

The result also meant five-time champions CSK have been eliminated from the race to the playoffs. After fifties from B. Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, and Jos Buttler took GT to 229/4, the bowlers ran through the CSK batting line-up to dismiss them for just 140 all out in 13.4 overs. Siraj (3-26) and Rabada (3-32) were stellar with the new ball yet again, while Rashid chipped in with 3-18.

Starting from the word do, CSK’s chase never got going. Sanju Samson fell on the first ball, edging off Siraj behind to Jos Buttler. Ruturaj Gaikwad briefly countered with a four and two sixes, but Siraj struck again in the second over by castling him for 16. Urvil Patel followed soon after, caught at deep square leg for a two-ball duck, leaving CSK tottering at 31/3.

Matthew Short tried to inject momentum with a brisk 24, but Rabada removed him in the fifth over. Kartik Sharma and Dewald Brevis attempted to rebuild, but a direct hit from Gill ran the former out for 19. At 63/5, CSK were staring at the ignominy of being bowled out for a sub-100 score.

But Shivam Dube launched a spirited counterattack, smashing four fours and as many sixes in his 17-ball 47. But Rashid Khan’s introduction ended his fightback, as Dube miscued a lofted shot and Gill pulled off a stunning diving catch at extra cover.

Rashid then dismissed Anshul Kamboj (19) and Dewald Brevis (8), while Rabada took out Noor Ahmad and Spencer Johnson to end CSK’s misery and hand GT a thumping victory to sign off from the league stage on a high. The result confirms GT’s place in the top two; it gives them the cushion of an extra chance of playing the final in Ahmedabad on May 31.

Meanwhile, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Director of Cricket Mo Bobat confirmed skipper Rajat Patidar’s availability for Friday’s league‑stage clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad, after he missed the clash against Punjab Kings in Dharamshala due to being hit on the head while facing Kolkata Knight Riders in Raipur. “Rajat’s good to go. We were cautious and didn’t take any risks with him. We thought we’d give him a little bit longer to recover and rest, but he’s here, he’s practising, and he’s good to go,” Bobat said in the pre-match press conference on the eve of the fixture.

Bobat reserved special praise for senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who currently holds the purple cap via 24 wickets in 13 innings.

“Bhuvi has been brilliant. His outcomes have been excellent; he’s taken a lot of wickets, but he’s also bowled with excellent rhythm. “He’s been effective at the front end of the innings and also the back end, so we’re very pleased with how he’s going.

“He talks well in meetings, he’s a good source of insight and ideas in the field under pressure.

“He can be a great support to Rajat and Jitesh as well, which is really important. We get huge value out of him because he gives us so much.”

With the playoffs approaching, Bobat underlined the importance of staying grounded.

“It sounds like a bit of a cliché, but we just try and take one game at a time.

“Whether we’re home or away, it doesn’t really matter to us. We try and understand the conditions, respect the opposition, plan for them, and then focus on what we’re good at and try and do that as well as we can.

“And then you repeat that for every group game, really, so I don’t know if there’s a code or a secret. It’s pleasing that we’ve been consistent.

“We’ve obviously won a number of games, and even the games that we haven’t won, we’ve been competitive, so that’s good. We feel in a good place about that, but we simply do that by concentrating on the next game.”

Looking ahead to the contest against a strong SRH, Bobat said, “All the teams in this competition are good sides, there are dangerous players in every team, and anyone can take the game away from you, so you have to be very humble and respectful of the opposition, but also clear on your own strengths. We’re not too bound by any history or records; we’re just concentrating on the game tomorrow night.”

Agencies