Ruturaj Gaikwad made the most of an early reprieve to lead the way with a fluent half-century on a tricky surface, allowing Chennai Super Kings to post a competitive 172 for seven in Qualifier 1 of the IPL against Gujarat Titans. At the time of going to press, GT were 52-2 in eight overs.

Earlier, caught off a no-ball from debutant Darshan Nalkande in the second over when only two, Gaikwad was the most fluent of the batsmen on view on a surface where stroke-making became increasingly difficult as the ball became older and softer.