The Indian Premier League has witnessed several heated rivalries over the years, but moments off the field often reveal a lighter, playful bond between opposition players and fanbases. Chennai Super Kings, one of the most successful franchises in IPL history, boast five titles and are backed by a passionate fanbase known as the ‘Whistle Podu Army’ or the ‘Yellow Army’. Every franchise aims to perform at its best at CSK’s home venue, the MA Chidambaram Stadium, famously known as Chepauk.
In the aftermath of Gujarat Titans’ latest win against CSK on Sunday, April 26, GT captain Shubman Gill shared a picture on Instagram that was seen as a light-hearted dig at the hosts. Holding a yellow whistle, Gill captioned the post “Nandri Chennai”. The moment came after his side registered their first win at Chepauk since IPL 2023.
GT, who won the title in their inaugural season in 2022 under then-captain Hardik Pandya, lost the 2023 final to CSK, sparking a budding rivalry between the two teams, who are now also competing for a playoff spot this season.
Coming into the match on the back of consecutive defeats, GT took a significant step forward in their campaign with a comfortable eight-wicket win, with 20 balls to spare, against the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led CSK side.
The win was set up by the GT bowling unit, with Kagiso Rabada making a strong impact in the first innings. His figures of 3 for 25 helped restrict CSK to a below-par total of 159.
Sai Sudharsan, who won the Orange Cap last season with 759 runs, had an underwhelming start to this campaign but found form at a crucial stage. Coming off a century against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he carried that momentum into this match, guiding GT to victory with a blistering 87 off 46 balls.
Gill, who had scored 297 runs in six innings before this match, provided a steady start with 33 but was unable to see it through, falling to a sharp stumping by Sanju Samson. Jos Buttler then carried forward the momentum, building a strong partnership with Sudharsan and remaining unbeaten on 39 off 30 balls to seal the chase.
Gill, clearly delighted, shared the cheeky Instagram post that quickly went viral as GT climbed to fifth on the points table, gaining an edge over CSK. He also praised the team’s overall performance after the match.
“Very happy to get a win like that in this part of India. Apart from the last four or five overs, it was a complete performance. If I have to be critical, finishing an innings has been a problem. We need to do better in that,” Gill said.
