Winningest franchise in sports history

Gujarat Titans’ 21-year-old Sai Sudharsan played the scintillating innings to notch up the highest score by an uncapped player in the history of the Indian Premier League final. Sudharsan achieved this feat during the IPL 2023 final match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday where he played a sensational innings of 96 off just 47 balls. Sudharsan also became the second-youngest batter to score a half-century in the IPL final. At the age of 21 years and 226 days, He broke the record of Manan Vohra, who scored a fifty in the IPL 2014 final, at the age of 20 years and 318 days. GT acquired Sudharsan for Rs. 20 lakh in the IPL 2022 auction.

Coming to the match, Sai Sudharsan’s sensational knock of 96 and Wriddhiman Saha’s fine fifty propelled Gujarat Titans (GT) to 214/4 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 here at Narendra Modi Stadium on Monday.

Sudharsan scored the highest for Gujarat with a sensational 96 off 47 deliveries while Saha played a fine knock of 54 off 39 balls. For CSK, Matheesha Pathirana bagged two while Deepak Chahar and Ravindra Jadeja scalped one wicket each.

After being put to bat first, Gujarat Titans got off to the finest start with their openers Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha slamming CSK bowlers all around the ground.

The Gujarat openers rotated the strike brilliantly, not allowing the CSK bowlers to settle down while whacking the loose balls on offer.

CSK’s experienced all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja provided his team with a big breakthrough as he dismissed star batter Gill for 39 off 20 balls in the seventh over of the game. However, Saha displayed great resilience and determination as he slammed CSK bowlers at regular intervals.

The left-handed batter Sai Sudharsan then came out to bat. The pair of Saha and Sudharsan took their team’s target beyond the 100-run mark, stitching up a fine partnership.

Saha continued his blistering form as he brought up his half-century in 36 balls. Saha’s innings at the crease was cut short as he was sent packing by Deepak Chahar after scoring 54 runs. GT captain and right-handed batter Hardik Pandya came out to bat.

Sudharsan opened his hands and slammed Maheesh Theekshana for two big sixes in the 15th over of the game. The fantastic youngster Sudharsan slammed a sensational half-century in 33 balls and kept the scoreboard ticking for Gujarat.

Sudharsan kept the momentum going for Gujarat Titans as he slammed boundaries at regular intervals. Sudharsan single-handedly hammered Tushar Deshpande for 20 runs with the help of three boundaries and one maximum in the 17th over.

Pandya and Sudharsan stitched up fifty run partnership stand in just 23 balls. Pandya and Sudharsan hammered Deshpande for 18 runs and guided their team beyond the 200-run mark.

CSK bowlers did not had any answer to Sudharsan’s on slaughter as the batter kept hammering every bower all around the ground.

In the last over, Sudharsan slammed two back-to-back sixes, however, he lost his wicket to Matheesha Pathirana. Sudharsan fell short of 4 runs off making his maiden IPL century. Rashid Khan then came out to bat.

Pathirana then delivered superb balls and took the wicket of Rashid Khan on the last ball of the final over to restrict GT to 214/4 in 20 overs.

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The NFC South isn’t going to be mistaken as one of the juggernaut divisions in the NFL . Every team was below .500 in 2022, so we’re not exactly looking at Super Bowl contenders in this bunch. That said, there are intriguing aspects to all four of these clubs. The Buccaneers are now trying to fill a GOAT-sized hole following the retirement of Tom Brady , the Saints signed Derek Carr as their next QB, while the Panthers traded up to No. 1 overall to select Bryce Young . With all that quarterback turnover in the division, Atlanta’s Desmond Ridder has the most games started (four) with their current team in the NFC South, and he’s entering his first season as the full-time starter.

Needless to say, there’s a lot of uncertainty within this division. So, how about we dive into some burning questions surrounding each club?

Buccaneers: Will Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask be QB1?

The Buccaneers will not be able to truly replace Tom Brady, but someone will need to line up under center for them in 2023. As things stand currently, Tampa Bay is looking at two options — Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask. The club signed Mayfield to a one-year deal in mid-March after the former No. 1 overall pick spend the back half of the 2022 season with the Rams after a failed tenure in Carolina. Mayfield went 1-3 in his four games starting for Los Angeles and completed 63.8% of his passes while registering an 84.5 passer rating. The 28-year-old provides experience at the position with 72 regular-season games under his belt. Meanwhile, he’s thrown just nine passes in the NFL since the Bucs took him in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft . One would imagine that Trask is the preferred choice here given his age and upside, but these quarterbacks will likely duke it out all through training camp.

Panthers: What is the wide receiver pecking order?

The Panthers have turned their wide receiver room upside down this offseason as they usher in a new head coach and rookie quarterback. As part of the deal to trade up to No. 1 overall to select Bryce Young, Carolina shipped away D.J. Moore , who led the team in every meaningful receiving category in 2022. Now, the Panthers have newcomers like veterans Adam Thielen and D.J. Chark along with rookie Jonathan Mingo entering the fray that also consists of 2022 carryovers Terrace Marshall Jr . Laviska Shenault and Shi Smith . That list grows even more when accounting for tight end Hayden Hurst , who was also signed in free agency. Over the next few months, figuring out who Young has the most chemistry with and which pass catchers are clicking within the offense will be a fascinating exercise to help the offense — and their rookie quarterback — start strong out of the gate.

Saints: What will the backfield look like?

Derek Carr should be able to assimilate into the Saints culture rather easily thanks to his history with head coach Dennis Allen, so we won’t put the spotlight on him. Instead, we’ll look at Carr’s backfield as the Saints have quietly overhauled the running back position. The club signed Jamaal Williams in free agency and used a third-round pick on TCU running back Kendre Miller . Those moves come in the backdrop of Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara possibly facing a suspension from the NFL after he was indicted on two criminal charges stemming from an alleged incident in Las Vegas in 2022. If Kamara is sidelined for any amount of time, Williams and Miller would be asked to carry the load. If he escapes a suspension, this running game will have a lot of cooks in the kitchen.

Falcons : Is Desmond Ridder a franchise QB?

The Falcons didn’t seem too interested in entering some of the more high-profile quarterback sweepstakes this offseason, nor did they decide to trade up or select one with the No. 8 overall pick at the NFL Draft . The club did bring in Taylor Heinicke , but it looks like he’ll merely be a veteran backup to 2022 third-round pick Desmond Ridder. The Cincinnati product is in line to be the team’s full-time starter in 2023 after getting four starting nods to end the regular season last year. Ridder improved in each of those four games and finished with a Week 18 performance against Tampa Bay where he threw for 224 yards, two touchdowns and had a 108.2 passer rating.

With explosive weapons all across the offense, the 23-year-old has the opportunity to put up numbers in Arthur Smith’s offense. If he can prove he can be a franchise QB worth building around, the Falcons will have an extremely budget-friendly player for the next few years. If he doesn’t live up to those hopes, the franchise will certainly be back in the market next offseason.

Sixers & Pelicans in talks about sending Jahlil Okafor to New Orleans. Philly pushing for NO 1st rounder. Story coming at @USATODAYsports

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) February 6, 2017

Philadelphia and New Orleans are in advanced talks on Jahlil Okafor-to-the-Pels trade, league sources confirm. @Sam_Amick first to report.

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 6, 2017

Sixers coach Brett Brown has reached agreement on a three-year contract extension, league source tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 30, 2018

Brown had one year left on his existing contract, so he’s signed through the 2021-2022 season. Significant commitment by Sixers reflecting franchise’s tremendous progress under Brown. https://t.co/9QTJ8dYvF4

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 30, 2018