The leading T20 cricket league and the INDIAN summer festival is back. Defending champions Gujarat Titans and the four-time winners Chennai Super Kings will face-off to start the 2023 TATA IPL season!! In the last season, these two sides clashed twice where CSK were drubbed by Titans both the times.
Gujarat Titans Squad: The defending champions led by captain Hardik Pandya (orchestrated by Ashish Nehra) were dominant throughout and had a fantastic last season. The skipper himself played a huge role stepping up whenever and wherever the team needed him the most. He was their highest run-getter last year and 4th overall with 487 runs at an average of 44.27 and a decent 131.26 strike rate. On the other hand, Shubman Gill who is currently in the form of his life was the second most and 5th overall runs scorer with 483 runs at an average of 34.50 and a strike rate of 132.32. Titan’s middle-order star batsman David Miller will be missed by GT fans as he will be busy serving the international duties, he may miss few matches initially. His absence could pave the way for Matthew Wade. The middle order won’t be much of an issue for them as they have the likes of Wade, Tewatia, explosive power hitter Abhinav Manohar and of course T20 global Superstar Rashid Khan. The Afghani skipper played a vital role with both bat and ball last year. He had 19 scalps on his name at an economy of 6.59 (5th best overall) and with the bat, his strike rate was 206.81. The Titans fans will be eyeing for their superstar to give them the perfect start with his magical performance to begin the season. Indian white ball star Mohammad Shami had a decent season last year, he was their top wicket taker with 20 wickets and was 6th among top 10. The fiery bowling trio Shami-Joseph-Mavi can swing and bowl above 140 KPH. That’s a threatening quartet.
Probable Playing 13 (including impact rule players) : Shubman Gill, Kane Williamson, HH Pandya(C), M Wade, A Manohar, Sai Kishore, R Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Shivam Mavi, Alzarri Joseph, M Shami. (Odean Smith, Sai Sudarshan)
Chennai Super Kings: This second most successful franchise is led by MS Dhoni, who is probably going to be seen for the last time on the field this year. CSK going into the tournament are being touted as the most formidable and favorite side this year. The franchise retained 18 players who have already been a part of CSK. They have bought Ajinkya Rahane and Ben Stokes whose experience can be pivotal for the team. Chennai had a dismal season last year, having said that Dhoni & Co will be hoping to Bounce back. Ruturaj Gaikwad who was then retained by the CSK wasn’t up to the mark last year having scored only 368 at an average of 26.29 with 126 strike rate. Devon Conway however was their biggest find. He amassed 252 runs at an average of 42 and an outstanding strike rate of 145.66 while playing in only 7 matches. The opening duo will have a huge role to play as their middle-order last year failed miserably, while adding a world-class Benjamin Stokes into the side will ease their pressure a bit. The middle-order now looks stronger than ever with the likes of Ambati, Moeen, Stokes, Dube etc. Dhoni and Jadeja might be seen playing the finishing role down the order. Mukesh Chaudhary is ruled out of IPL due to an injury which could be the biggest blow as he was their promising bowler in the last season. With that said, Simarjeet Singh will have to unleash his potential in order to fill his void. Their bowling line-up looks a bit concerning as they are highly dependent on Theekshana and Deepak Chahar, especially in the death overs. This is the only area where CSK & Dhoni will have to look after.
Probable Playing 13 (including impact rule players): MS Dhoni(C), Devon Conway, AT Rayudu, RD Gaikwad, MM Ali, Ben Stokes, S Dubey, RA Jadeja, Dwaine Pretorius, DL Chahar, Simarjeet Singh. (Mitchell Santner, Ajinkya Rahane)
Interesting stats and facts:
- Hardik Pandya has a tremendous strike rate of 155.45 against CSK.
- Hardik Pandya is 5 wickets away from completing his 150 T20 wickets.
- MS Dhoni needs 22 runs to complete 5000 IPL runs.
- Hardik Pandya needs 37 runs to complete 2000 IPL runs.
- Mohammad Shami is just 1 wicket away from his 100 IPL wickets.
- Moeen Ali is 90 runs away from completing his 1000 IPL runs.
- Ben Stokes is 80 runs away from completing his 1000 IPL runs.
- Ravindra Jadeja is 18 wickets away from his 150 IPL wickets.
Injuries and replacements:
- Mukesh Chaudhary is injured and ruled out of IPL and Akash Singh has replaced him. He was part of the RR setup until last edition.
- Kyle Jamieson is ruled out of IPL, Sisanda Magala has replaced him.
Surprise Element: As per the few reports, MS Dhoni has a slight knee niggle, he may or may not play the game. But since it’s a minor injury we should see him playing the game.
Weather and Pitch report: With the match being scheduled at 7.30 PM IST, the weather is expected to be around 33 degrees Celsius (humid). No chances of rain, therefore, we should have a full game.
Time and Venue: 31st March 2023 (Friday), 7:30 PM IST
Live Streaming: Star Sports network and JioCinema.
Dream 11:
Both the sides will be aiming to win and start the tournament on a winning note.
Hope we will have a cracking start to the tournament.
