Gujarat have looked the most dominant team this season and entered the playoffs as the top ranked team following the league stage, but if there was any team that knows how to play the playoffs - it's Chennai. MS Dhoni's team had the added advantage of playing this first Qualifier at home at the Chepauk and they made the most of it, winning the match by 15 balls to spare.
First things first, Shubman Gill did not score another century, since he does seem to be on such a streak. He made 42. MS Dhoni also got to bat and scored 1 off 2 as Chennai posted 172/7 after being put into bat first by Hardik Pandya. That, however, proved more than enough as Gujarat lost by 15 runs.
Chennai now go through to Sunday’s final but Gujarat aren't out of the tournament, but have another shot at reaching the final when they play Friday's Qualifier 2 against the winner of Wednesday night's Eliminator between Lucknow and Mumbai.
This podcast series is brought to you in association with Lloyd.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)