Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 14 : The blockbuster Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 final between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT) will go down in history as the longest, yet.
Due to heavy rain on the initial date of May 28, no play was possible; however, there was a reserve day and the weather was clear enough for the match to begin.
Rain arrived shortly after the start of CSK's chase, forcing the players off the pitch, and it finally stopped minutes before midnight, when a fresh goal was set for MS Dhoni's men.
The battle lasted late into the night, ending about 1:35 a.m. IST, and it was technically the third day of the summit clash.
Talking about how unique the three-day T20 that culminated in CSK's fifth IPL title was, Conway said that he had several cups of tea and a can of Red Bull to keep himself awake. The left-handed batter played a pivotal role in the second innings to keep CSK in the race to claim their fifth IPL title.
"Very unique - an emotional rollercoaster. 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 Redbull 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," Conway told ESPNcricinfo.
Conway struck a match-winning 25-ball 47 to help CSK secure a record-equaling sixth IPL title.
"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," he added.
In 16 matches he has scored a total of 672 with a strike rate of 139.71. Conway has amassed six half-centuries to his name this season and has accumulated a total of 77 fours and 18 sixes. He ended as the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament.
The pandemonium didn't stop when CSK won the title. The celebration lasted till the morning, and some players missed their flights as a result.
"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," Conway told ESPNcricinfo.
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