Shubman Gill and Ananya Birla in frame. PC- X/IG (ananyabirla)
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) faced a harsh defeat at the hands of the Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday. Shubman Gill's boys thrashed the whistle army at Chepauk, climbing to fifth position on the points table.
Although the Gujarat captain could not do much with the bat, Shubman Gill's captaincy vs CSK was on point. On a quick wicket, India's next poster boy used his four speedsters to perfection while bowling first.
Kagiso Rabada snapped three wickets and Arshad Khan picked two scalps, while Mohammad Siraj and Manav Suthar bagged apiece. For Chennai, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad rejuvenated the innings with an unbeaten effort of 74 runs. As a result, CSK ended their innings on 158/7.
Later in the chase, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan added 58 runs for the first wicket, before Gill fell on 33 off 23 balls. Then Sudharsan and Jos Buttler took over with an almost century-long partnership, before Buttler and Washi Sundar did the formalities.
Shubman Gill trolls CSK, RCB owner backs him
After the game, Shubman Gill posted a picture of himself on Instagram while trolling the five-time champions. The Gujarat captain, sitting on a flight back to Ahmedabad, had a yellow-coloured whistle in his hand.
Backing the joke, RCB's co-owner, Ananya Birla, also reshared Gill's post on Instagram. It is worth mentioning that the Birla Group-backed Birla Estates is the Principal Sponsor for the GT in the IPL 2026.
Also Read: Who Is Ananya Birla? RCB New Owner’s Daughter Gains Massive Attention
As fans found out that Ananya Birla has joined Shubman Gill in trolling CSK, a wild streak of memes spread on social media. With a segment of fans backing the GT captain. A user even called the Chennai fans "cry babies".
Whereas, the rest are backing the five-time champions to "fill a complaint" against Gill and Birla.
Recently, CSK filed an official complaint with the BCCI against RCB when the DJ at the M. Chinnaswamy mocked the five-time champions during their IPL 2026 match on April 5.
Are Ananya Birla and Shubman Gill related?
Ahead of the IPL 2026, the internet went wild when the GT captain, Shubman Gill, shared the stage with entrepreneur and singer Ananya Birla. During the function, the fans loved the camaraderie between the two trailblazers, with Birla complimenting Gill's skill set, mindset, and discipline.
The Ananya Birla-led Birla Estates is the Principal Sponsor of the Gujarat Titans, with the partnership announced in November last year.
Apart from the Titans, the Aditya Birla Group recently associated itself with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, after leading a consortium and acquiring the franchise for a record-breaking $1.78 billion (approx. ₹16,700 crore) from the United Spirits Limited.
How is IPL 2026 going for GT?
The 2022 IPL champions, GT, have had a decent start to this campaign. With a fixed template in batting, the Titans heavily rely on their top three batters - Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler. And in bowling, they bank on their strong bowling unit, with Kagiso Rabada, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Siraj and Jason Holder in their ranks.
After eight matches in IPL 2026, the Shubman Gill-led team has won four and lost as many. However, quite recently, their batting has started to click properly, making them a strong contender for the playoff spot.
However, the middle order is still a worrying factor for the one-time champions. They will next face RCB at Ahmedabad on Thursday (April 30).
Also Read: Angkrish Raghuvanshi Caught Abusing Rishabh Pant After Obstructing The Field Controversy
