The Chennai Super Kings and MS Dhoni have already completed their lap of honor around Chepauk and expressed their gratitude to the supporters. The 2023 campaign started with the chance that their deity of 16 years will depart after only two months. Since then, each of the club’s seven home games has served as a cathartic reunion, a celebration, and just a huge show of appreciation and respect for the man who helped the team to its peak level of success over the years and made it to the enormous mural at the location.
As the club tries to make a quick entry into what will be their 10th final appearance and finally strive to catch Mumbai Indians for the number of IPL titles won, Tuesday gives the CSK faithful their final opportunity this season to raise the roof.
However, the Gujarat Titans don’t have time for such sentimental narratives. Even though his squad was certain to participate in the first qualifier, Hardik Pandya fielded a full-strength team the previous evening and emphasized the need of keeping up positive routines and momentum. When RCB was eliminated from the league stage late on Sunday night, another of India’s favorite sons, Virat Kohli, sank into his chair in utter devastation. In keeping with their identity, GT adopted a ruthless strategy that has allowed them to be the only team to stay clear of the center of the points table during the whole season.
The quick turnaround between their final league game and the first qualifier also dispels any worries about possible weariness. Pandya’s team has played with a shorter break between two matches in the first week of May, playing an evening match in Jaipur on a Friday, traveling back home on a Saturday, and taking part in the afternoon match on a Sunday. They not only showed up, but they also triumphed in that match. The fact that even they are unsure of the conditions to expect, Pandya’s team has been excellent on the road with 6 away victories, negates any imagined advantage for CSK of playing at a place where GT hasn’t this season.
Thus, the high-stakes game will depend on precise match-ups and even more precise margins between two teams that have demonstrated similar tendencies to extract every last bit of potential from the teams at their disposal.
When: May 22, 2023, 07:30 PM IST, Gujarat Titans vs. Chennai Super Kings
Where: Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium
What to anticipate: An evening with highs in the 30s is expected to be warm. Early on, the venue’s conditions were favorable for batsmen, but as the competition has gone on, the wickets have become slower. The average first innings total decreased from 182 in the first four games to 150 in the last three, which was mirrored in the scores recorded at the site.
But pitch #5, where CSK and PBKS engaged in a 200-v-200 entertainer, will host Tuesday’s match.
GT leads the match 3-0. Hardik Pandya’s team successfully chased down three runs in three different games (in 2022 and 2023), in three different locations (Pune, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad).
Team Overview:
Chennai Super Kings
Ben Stokes has returned home for international duty due to an injury or unavailability. The squad as a whole is in good health.
The early match-up between Deepak Chahar and Shubman Gill will be key to the course of the game because Chahar has returned to his PowerPlay wicket-taking form. In his most recent game, Gill posted scores of 101 and 104* and has scored 49 runs off of Chahar’s 37 balls faced. However, the CSK pacer has twice thrown him out.
Despite playing poorly at home, Ajinkya Rahane has a sterling record against Mohammed Shami, blasting 86 at a strike rate of 168.63 without being dismissed. When facing Hardik Pandya, Dhoni may choose Ravindra Jadeja, who struck out the GT skipper twice in 16 deliveries while only giving up 18 runs.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c/wk), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana (Impact sub: Matheesha Pathirana), and Maheesh Theekshana make up the probable XI
Gujarat Titans
Injury/Unavailability: Vijay Shankar regained full fitness ahead of Sunday’s league match against RCB and batted at No.3. Given Dasun Shanaka’s lack of experience with both bat and ball, GT may turn to Joshua Little, either in the XI or as an impact sub. The left-arm pacer returned to the GT squad before of the weekend match against RCB after missing the Ireland-Bangladesh series. On the eve of the first qualifying, he also trained in Chennai.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has scored 73, 53, and 92 runs against GT, but Shami has found tactics to limit his early scoring. The experienced bowler has bowled 59 balls in the CSK opener and only allowed 40 runs to be scored. Devon Conway, the leading scorer for CSK this year, has been excellently handled by Shami, who has twice dismissed him in eight IPL deliveries bowled at him.
Meanwhile, Mohit Sharma returns to the city where he first gained notoriety in this event by taking 16 wickets in 13 games. In this event, he has plagued Ambati Rayudu, taking him out six times in 43 balls while only giving up 52 runs.
David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, and Yash Dayal make up the probable XI (Impact Subs: Joshua Little and Dasun Shanaka).
Have you heard?
– Gujarat Titans have scored 639 runs in the final overs this season, which is third-best while losing the fewest wickets overall (23). Additionally, they have the second-best total of sixes during this time [48].
– This season, Shivam Dube has a remarkable strike rate of 175.93 against spin. Interestingly, he has only hit three fours but twenty-sixes against them.
– Gujarat Titans have taken 24 wickets in the PowerPlay this season, with 15 of those being taken by Shami. – CSK have taken three wickets in the PowerPlay in each of their previous five games.