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The 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) began with a blockbuster encounter between the defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) and four-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Ahmedabad on Friday, March 31. In the first match of a brand-new season, GT beat CSK by five wickets to get off to a winning start.
The Hardik Pandya-led side chased down the target of 179 runs in 19.2 overs to complete a hat-trick of wins over CSK. But the excitement for the fans started much before the match started with an exceptional opening ceremony which involved some of the biggest names in the world of Bollywood, like Tammanah Bhatia, Rashmika Mandanna and Arijit Singh.
While Arijit entertained the multitude of fans present at the Narendra Modi Stadium with his soulful music, Tamannaah and Rashmika danced to various hit tracks.
And towards the end of the opening ceremony, the two captains — Dhoni of CSK and Hardik Pandya of GT— also joined the stage in chariots with the performers and the BCCI officials along with the winner's trophy. In a heartwarming gesture, Arijit touched Dhoni’s feet. Several pictures of the superstar singer bowing down before Dhoni and touching his feet have gone viral on social media.
Meanwhile, the match was a closely fought affair, with both teams having their respective moments but the Titans made the most of their chances and eventually downed the Chennai side by five wickets.
Put in to bat first by the Gujarat-based franchise, the side's batting was guided by Ruturaj Gaikwad's 92 runs from 50 balls as the side posted 178 runs for the loss of 20 overs. However, CSK’s total didn’t prove to be enough in the end, with GT, riding on Shubman Gill’s 63 off 36 balls, GT chased down the required total with four balls to spare and lost only five wickets.
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