CSK
and GT have similar strengths but Dhoni
‘s brigade may have a slight edge at the Chepauk as the two lock horns in Qualifier 1CHENNAI: There’s a feel of a final before a final to this one. If ever there were two teams evenly matched on all fronts in the IPL, it’s Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans.
Gujarat won the first time they met in the opener, but CSK have come a long way since then. They have matched the Titans’ consistency and now that it’s at Chepauk, MS Dhoni’s boys will have a slight edge. While their knowledge and understanding of the dimensions of the ground and the nature of the pitch are crucial, the wave of ‘yellow’ cheering them from the stands does become a factor while playing at home.
Add to that a third unstated factor. Dhoni, in all probability, is playing his last IPL match at Chepauk. The captain has not announced it so that the focus of the team doesn’t get shifted in a wave of nostalgia, but he knows better than anyone else that his knees are not good enough for top-flight cricket anymore.
His teammates, too, would love to ensure that Dhoni leaves Chepauk, which has given the 41-year-old so much, a winner.
But standing in the way is a team that matches CSK man for man. If CSK have a brilliant opening combo, Titans have Shubman Gill, who is coming to Chennai on the back of a match-winning century against RCB.
CSK’s spin troika of Ravindra Jadeja, Maheesh Theekshana and Moeen Ali will be matched by the Afghan wrist spin duo of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad. And the magnificent new slinger Matheesha Pathirana will get top competition from the wily old Mohammed Shami. TOI takes a look at the factors that can decide the outcome of the game.
Titans’ middle-order against CSK’s experience
If CSK manage to get Gill out early, there is a feeling that the Titans middle-order could be put under pressure. Hardik Pandya hasn’t been in his best batting form while Dhoni knows how to deal with domestic players like Vijay Shankar and Rahul Tewatia.
In a situation like that, it becomes mandatory for David Miller to come good. The South African has the experience and the quality to take the CSK attack apart and Dhoni would hope the slowness of the pitch and the experience of his bowlers will come in handy against the dasher.
Pressure on Titans’ ‘lesser’ bowlers
While Rashid, Shami and Noor are extremely good, the pressure will be immense on the likes of Mohit Sharma and Yash Dayal.
While Mohit spent his heyday at CSK, Dhoni knows everything about the pacer. It is a given that CSK batters will look to target him, along with Dayal, who was taken apart earlier in the tournament by Rinku Singh with five consecutive sixes in the last over.
It will be interesting to see if Titans gamble with left-arm finger-spinner R Sai Kishore, who plays for Tamil Nadu and understands the Chepauk conditions. CSK have shown time and time again that the pitches here are good for finger-spinners and Sai Kishore as a surprise option (if he is bowling well enough at the nets), won’t be a bad idea.
1/14
GT vs CSK IPL 2023 Qualifier 1: Chennai take on Gujarat at Chepauk
Show Captions
<p>The astute tactician in MS Dhoni will dig deep into his reserves to counter Indian cricket’s new ‘Crown Prince’ Shubman Gill as four-time champions Chennai Super Kings will meet their match in current title holders Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 of the IPL in Chennai on Tuesday.<br /><br /></p>
<p>Gill, who almost single-handedly knocked out a star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore with a century for the keeps, has overshadowed Virat Kohli and will certainly force one of India’s greatest captains to go back to drawing board and make plans for him.<br /></p>
<p>Gill is in the midst of a dream season and what will be Dhoni’s tactical ploy to stop the dashing ‘Mohali Marauder’ is there to be seen.<br /></p>
<p>This season, Gujarat Titans haven’t played at the Chepauk, which hasn’t behaved in a singular manner during CSK’s seven home games and that prompted head coach Stephen Fleming to raise apprehensions about what to expect.<br /></p>
<p>What makes this battle even more interesting is the fact that GT is a team that seems closest to being a proto-type of what CSK had been all these years in IPL.<br /></p>
<p>A captain, who swears that his understanding of leadership is cut from Dhoni’s ‘captaincy cloth’, and head coach Nehra, who just like his former teammate doesn’t believe in too many changes even if a couple of games go wrong.<br /></p>
<p>So, it becomes more interesting when two teams with similar philosophy are pitted against each other. The teams which don’t make long-term promises that are difficult to fulfill but focus on immediate process and know the roles of players required for slots.<br /><br /></p>
<p>For Gujarat, tackling the slowness of the Chepauk track will be a challenge and how well they negotiate Deepak Chahar’s powerplay overs and Matheesha Pathirana’s slingers at the back-end, will determine the outcome of the match.<br /></p>
<p>GT skipper Pandya and Ashish Nehra will find Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka’s inputs handy as he has handled both Pathirana and spinner Maheesh Theekshana for the national team.<br /></p>
<p>While Shanaka might be used more as an all-rounder, GT depending on the toss can also try out left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore, who knows these conditions well.<br /></p>
<p>For CSK, a good start by the crack pair of Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be important. But at the Chepauk, even Ajinkya Rahane could become a factor while Shivam Dube would love to add to his 33 sixes for the season.<br /><br /></p>
<p>With GT bowling led by Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan (24 wickets each so far) things won’t be easy for the home team’s batters. How the CSK opening duo handles the relentless Shami may prove vital and it would be important for the under-performing middle-order to step up in a crunch game.<br /><br /></p>
<p>If a sluggish pitch is rolled out for the match, the spinners in the two teams would have a huge part to play. If CSK has Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali and Theekshana, the GT boast of a line-up that includes Rashid and Noor Ahmad.<br /><br /></p>
Nehra vs Dhoni in battle of wits
One may think that it’s Hardik vs Dhoni, but it’s more about coach Ashish Nehra that gives Titans a look and feel that is similar to CSK’s. Nehra had his last blaze of glory playing at CSK and he picked up some of the intricacies of running a successful franchise from Dhoni. Continuity, banking on experienced players and being great chasers (GT have only lost three matches chasing in two years of IPL) are all hallmarks of CSK and Nehra has been able to recreate that at the new franchise.
Now, playing for the first time at Chepauk, Nehra’s strategizing will find an able match in Dhoni’s skills as a captain. It’s to be seen who wins this battle of wits and becomes the first team to make the IPL 16 final.
1/17
IPL 2023: How GT, CSK, LSG and MI qualified for the playoffs
Show Captions
<p>The defending champions yet again reached the IPL playoffs after a dominating performance in the league stage. Led by skipper Hardik Pandya, GT never looked like a new franchise and played like a true champion team.<br /><br /></p>
<p>Hardik’s Titans have yet again shown the world why they are the defending champions. In the league stage, the Titans have won 10 times and lost 4 times in 14 matches and were the first team to qualify for the playoffs and would play Qualifier-1 against the 4-time champions CSK at Chepauk.<br /></p>
<p>Indian batter Shubhman Gill tops the chart in GT’s run-getters list. Gill scored 680 runs in 14 games at an average of 56.66 with a strike rate of 152.46 and 4 fifties and a couple of centuries under his belt.<br /></p>
<p>Indian pacer Mohammed Shami scalped 24 wickets at an economy of 7.7 for GT. He also holds the “Purple Cap” for most wickets in the league stage as well with the best figures of 4/11 against DC.<br /></p>
<p>The four-time IPL champions yet again qualified for the playoffs for the 12th time in IPL history. Led by the legendary skipper MS Dhoni, CSK would be eager to hold the trophy for the fifth time and to give a fairytale tribute to MSD’s illustrious career.<br /><br /></p>
<p>After some dismal performances in the beginning, CSK returned to winning ways with some top-class performances by the top-order batters and the bowlers. In 14 matches, CSK won 8 times and lost 5 times with one match getting called off due to rain. CSK would play the first playoffs against the defending champions GT at the iconic Chepauk. MSD’s troops would be eager to win the first qualifier to get a direct entry to the finals at Ahmedabad.<br /></p>
<p>The Kiwi opener Devon Conway leads the chart for CSK as the leading run-getter for them by scoring 585 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 138.62 with 6 half-centuries.<br /></p>
<p>The right-arm pacer Tushar Deshpande has scalped most wickets for CSK. He took 20 wickets in 14 matches with the best bowling figures of 3/45.<br /><br /></p>
<p>Just like GT, LSG would also be playing in the playoffs for the second time. The Super Giants too had a great outing in the league stage and played some good cricket throughout the tournament.<br /></p>
<p>LSG won 8 times and lost 5 times with one game being called off due to rain in 14 matches. Led by stand-in skipper Krunal Pandya in place of injured KL Rahul, LSG would look to create fortunes and win the title for the first time.<br /><br /></p>
<p>The Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis had a dream run in the ongoing IPL. He scored 368 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 150.20 with 3 fifties under his belt.<br /></p>
<p>Ravi Bishnoi was the pick of the bowlers for LSG as he took 16 wickets in 14 matches with the best bowling figures of 3/28.</p>
<p>The five-time champions returned to their groove after a stellar performance in the league stage. After a brisky start to their campaign, MI managed to settle and put up a great show with an all-round performance.<br /></p>
<p>In the league stage, In 14 matches, MI won 8 times and lost 6 times, and finished fourth in the points table. MI is set to play Lucknow Super Giants in an eliminator at Chepauk in Chennai. Rohit would be looking forward to marching his troops to clinch the 6th title.<br /></p>
<p>MI’s reliable batter Suryakumar Yadav scored 511 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 185.14 with 4 fifties and a century against GT.<br /></p>
<p>Veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla is having a dream run in the ongoing IPL and performed brilliantly with the ball. He scalped 20 wickets in 14 matches at an economy of 7.81 with the best bowling figures of 3/22.<br /></p>
Watch IPL 2023, Qualifier 1: Chennai Super Kings ready for Gujarat Titans challenge
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