The final of the 2023 season of the Indian Premier League was full of thrills and excitement. With the rain on the designated day, the match was postponed to the reserve day where Chennai Super Kings won the title beating Gujarat Titans by five wickets. Chasing the revised target of 171 in 15 over that too on a rain-impacted pitch was not an easy task for the team but the collective efforts from CSK batters helped them to win their fifth title.
From Devon Conway to Ruturaj Gaikwad and from Ajinkya Rahane to hard-hitter Shivam Dube everyone contributed for the team in this pressure game. One of the most notified twists came when Ambati Rayudu gathered 16 runs from Mohit Sharma’s over hitting 6,4 and 6 on the three consecutive deliveries. He departed on the very next ball but his valuable 19 suna from 8 balls ignited a new life into the CSK’s run chase.
Former Indian batter Mohammed Kaif also praised Rayudu for his important contribution which changed the game in the favor of Chennai Super Kings. Kaif also claimed that the six that Rayudu hit playing at backfoot on the slow delivery of Mohit Sharma was the shot of the tournament for him. Kaif said that Rayudu’s shot was almost the same as Virat Kohli’s one which the RCB batter hit against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2022.
While talking to Cricbuzz, Kaif said,” That impactful knock from Ambati Rayudu was the game-changing moment. His innings were very crucial in the context of the game. The six he hit going on the back foot was the shot of the tournament for me. It was identical to that iconic six which Virat Kohli hit in the T20 World Cup against Pakistan in Melbourne last year. Rayudu looked emotional but full credit to him for ending his IPL career on such a high.”
Rayudu is one of the most celebrated batters in the history of IPL. He has played 204 matches in which he has scored 4348 runs. He has got 22 half-centuries during this journey.
