By 
The Gujarat Titans (GT) take on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2023 on Tuesday, May 23, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
This is the first game of the IPL 2023 playoffs, with the winner going straight through to the final, while the loser will get another shot at getting to the finals.
While CSK will have the unanimous backing of their home crowd, GT is a well-rounded side that shouldn’t have any problems playing at Chepauk. In fact, in Sai Sudharsan, Vijay Shankar, and R Sai Kishore, GT has more TN players ready to play than CSK.
The Titans picked up where they left off last season and are looking on course to defend their title, finishing first on the points table with ten wins in 14 games. Both their batting and bowling departments have clicked, and they’ve had different players step up and deliver in various matches.
CSK isn’t far off, recovering well after losing to GT in the curtain-raiser of IPL 2023. Despite having injury problems in their bowling attack and an inexperienced group of pacers, CSK has strolled to wins in most matches.
Their opening pair of Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad is one of the best in the league, and the attacking impetus provided by Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube has been the surprise package for CSK this season.
They’ve had no problem picking up wickets, with MS Dhoni well-known for employing the spin choke in the middle overs. Matheesha Pathirana has been a revelation at the death, and there’s no doubt he’ll be a key figure.
With star players on both sides and plenty of player battles set to decide the winner of this all-important game, this should be a cracking start to the IPL 2023 Playoffs.
Match Details
Date: May 23, 2023
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
Weather Forecast
It has been hot and humid in Chennai for a while now, and it will be a very stuffy evening for fans and players alike, with the temperature likely to hit the mid-30s. Dew is a definite possibility in the second innings, so the captain winning the toss could look to bowl first.
Pitch Report
We have seen a string of average scores in the last few games at Chepauk, and the way the sun has been belting down, we should have another dry wicket on the offing. However, the pitch used for this match is reportedly the same as the CSK-PBKS game, where PBKS chased 200 down. Therefore, we can expect a pretty high-scoring game where 175-200 should be par.
Predicted XIs
Gujarat Titans
GT played their full-strength playing XI against RCB to avoid compromising their momentum ahead of this crunch playoff match. Hence, there is unlikely to be any change in their side. They could bring more variety to their spin-bowling roster by getting off-spinner Jayant Yadav in for Yash Dayal. The returning Joshua Little should be their impact sub if they bat first.
Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya (C), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and Yash Dayal/Jayant Yadav. (Impact Sub: Joshua Little)
Chennai Super Kings
CSK fans haven’t been impressed with Ambati Rayudu’s performances and have called for him to be dropped, but his battle with Rashid Khan in the middle overs could well decide the outcome of this match. He should be the impact sub for the Super Kings.
CSK is never a team to make any unforced changes, especially in the playoffs, and they’ll likely go in with the same playing XI.
Chennai Super Kings: Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (C/WK), Deepak Chahar, Matheesha Pathirana, Maheesh Theekshana, and Tushar Deshpande. (Impact Player – Ambati Rayudu)
Match Prediction
Both sides are well-matched, and while CSK will have a slight home advantage, they won’t be in control of the wicket the teams will play on.
While both sides’ spinners are equally strong, GT’s pace bowling lineup has a slight edge over CSK’s. Their middle-order (No.s 5-7) has also contributed more consistently than CSK’s, and how they fare could well decide how this game ends up.
GT has dispatched most of their opponents easily this season, and another direct entry to the finals could be on the cards for Hardik’s side.
Prediction: Gujarat Titans to win Qualifier 1 of IPL 2023
Comments