Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings are set to face off in their final league stage clash of IPL 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Ahead of the much-anticipated encounter, Gujarat Titans’ star opener Sai Sudharsan opened up about his deep emotional bond with CSK, the franchise he grew up idolising.Sai Sudharsan has once again enjoyed a phenomenal IPL campaign and continues his rise as one of the league’s most consistent batsmen. After winning the IPL 2025 Orange Cap with an astonishing 759 runs, the 24-year-old has maintained his form in IPL 2026 and is firmly in the running for another dominant season. Despite a relatively quiet start to the campaign, Sudharsan has rediscovered the top gear and has already crossed the 500-run mark for the second season in a row. In 13 matches so far, the stylish left-hander has scored 554 runs and is currently fourth in the Orange Cap standings heading into GT’s final league fixture.Ahead of the CSK clash, Sudharsan reflected on one of the most memorable innings of his IPL career, his first IPL century against Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad in 2024. Speaking about his maiden IPL century against CSK on Geostar, Sudharsan admitted that the innings holds extra emotional significance because of his childhood association with the Chennai-based franchise.“It was not a conscious decision; I think it was God’s grace, and it came at the right time. But the time in between is always special, especially when I play against CSK because, whatever is said and done, I have a deep emotional connection with CSK,” Sudharsan said.“I grew up watching CSK play. We used to stand on the road just to watch the team bus pass by our school. Those are wonderful memories. I am thankful to God that I have been able to put up some memorable performances against CSK,” he added.Sai Sudharsan scored an impressive 103 runs off just 51 balls and tied the record with the captain in an opening partnership of 210 runs. Shabman GulHe also scored 104 runs off 55 balls. This stand equaled the record for the highest opening partnership in IPL history, which was previously held by KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock in 2022.
