GT vs CSK: Gujarat will try to secure a place in the top 2, danger of being out looms over Chennai.
Ahmedabad. The team of Gujarat Titans, which has already secured its place in the playoffs, will take the field against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with the intention of continuing its excellent performance and securing a place in the top two in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match to be held here on Thursday. The teams finishing in the top two positions in the league stage get two opportunities to reach the finals. Gujarat Titans are currently occupying the second position in the table with 16 points. Royal Challengers Bangalore (18 points) is in first place.
Apart from these two, Sunrisers Hyderabad (16 points) is also in the race to make it to the top two. These three teams have already qualified for the playoffs. If Gujarat Titans register a big win against CSK, they can also overtake Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)’s (+1.065) net run rate. If Sunrisers beats RCB in their last league match, then the first two places will be decided on the basis of net run rate. Currently Gujarat Titans has a net run rate (+0.400) which is better than Sunrisers (+0.350).
Due to the defeat at the hands of Sunrisers in the last match, CSK’s hopes of reaching the playoffs are almost over. In such a situation, five-time former champion CSK will try to save its reputation in its possible last match of the season. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led team is on the verge of being eliminated from the tournament and will have to pray for a win against Gujarat and the results of other matches to go in its favor to remain in contention for the final spot in the playoffs. Before this match to be held on the traditionally batsman-friendly pitch of Narendra Modi Stadium, Titans captain Shubman Gill and his opening partner Sai Sudarshan are in excellent form.
It will be a big challenge for CSK bowlers to control them. An exciting contest can also be seen in the middle overs in which Gujarat Titans’ star spinner Rashid Khan will test the strong batting line of CSK. Gill, Jos Buttler and Sudarshan will continue to strengthen Gujarat’s batting.
However, there is a lack of continuity in Gujarat’s middle order and in such a situation, Chennai’s left-arm spinner Akil Hussain will try to put pressure on them. The record of both the teams against each other is currently equal to 4-4. However, Gujarat had defeated Chennai by eight wickets in Chepauk earlier this season. In the last match, Kagiso Rabada had destroyed CSK’s top order by taking three wickets. It is very important for CSK that Gaikwad and Sanju Samson remain consistent in their opening spells.
The teams are as follows:
Chennai Super Kings:
Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Dewald Brewis, MS Dhoni (wk), Karthik Sharma (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Urvil Patel (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Aman Khan, Shivam Dubey, Diane Forrester, Jack Foulkes, Anshul Kamboj, McNeil Noronha, Matthew Short, Prashant Veer, Rahul Chahar, Shreyas Gopal, Gurjapaneet Singh, Matt Henry, Akil Hussain, Spencer Johnson, Akash Madhwal, Mukesh Chaudhary, Noor Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav.
Gujarat Titans:
Shubman Gill (captain), Anuj Rawat (wicketkeeper), Arshad Khan, Ashok Sharma, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Connor Esterhuizen, Gurnoor Brar, Jason Holder, Kulwant Khejroliya, Kumar Kushagra, Mohammed Siraj, Glenn Phillips, Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada, Rashid Khan, Sai Kishore, Sai Sudarshan, Shahrukh Khan, Ishant Sharma, Nishant Sindhu, Manav Suthar, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Luke Wood, Jayant Yadav. Match start time: 7.30 pm IST.
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