The final of the IPL 2023 between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans will go down in history as the longest, yet. Heavy rain meant no play was possible on the original date of May 28 and fortunately there was a reserve day and weather was clear enough for the match to finally start.
In a dramatic turn of events, right after the start of CSK’s chase, rain arrived forcing the players off the field and it finally relented minutes before midnight as a revised target was set for MS Dhoni’s men.
The match went late into the night, finishing around 1:35 am IST and technically, it was the third day of the summit clash.
The adrenaline rush of the contest aside, players were finding it hard to stay awake and CSK opener Devon Conway several cups of tea and a can of Red Bull to keep himself alert.
“Very unique – an emotional rollercoaster,” Conway told ESPNcricinfo about his experience of playing in IPL 2023 final. “I had many cups of chai just to keep myself going that late at night when we were all waiting during the rain break, not knowing how many overs we’d get in our chase. It was a little unsettling. Just before going in to bat, Mike Hussey (batting coach) told me, ‘Mate, think you want a can of Red bull to stay awake?’ It was hard to stay mentally switched on, given how late it was. So I had a can of Redbull to get sharp and awake again. It ensured I was switched on from the first ball.”
The drinks worked as Conway scored a match-winning 25-ball 47 to help CSK clinch a record-equaling fifth IPL title with the Kiwi also being chosen as player of the match.
“It was actually quite cool to finish the game that way, because we’d never experienced something like that. Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) hitting ten off two to win it the way he did made it even more exciting and the boys went on to celebrate the win well into the night and early morning,” Conway said.
The craziness didn’t end with CSK lifting the title. The celebrations went on till the morning and several players ended up missing their flights on Monday.
“It was crazy. A number of the players missed their flights. Moeen Ali and family postponed their travel by a day. Eric Simons (bowling consultant) cancelled his flight. Dwaine Pretorius also missed his flight; only his family somehow managed to get there in time. We all sat around in the team room and celebrated till about 9am in the morning, soaking in the highs and lows. MS Dhoni was right in the middle of it all. We all had a great time before some went straight to breakfast and others went to bed,” he said.
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