“If Jaddu gets conditions that help him, he’s very difficult to hit…”
The team’s propensity to take advantage of their home environment was summed up by MS Dhoni’s remarks following CSK’s run to their tenth final of the previous season via the first qualifier against Gujarat Titans. Being able to accomplish that has been somewhat of a lottery, even if CSK is one of the few teams that can. In 2023, CSK had three home losses, one of which was on a real surface where they batted first and scored 200 runs. The surface’s slowness, which has frequently allowed Dhoni to box the opposition in with spin, has come and gone at will.
Gujarat Titans might not be concerned with the surface’s characteristics this early in the season, though. Given the events between the two teams over the off-season, they have a lot of adrenaline pumping through them after defeating the Mumbai Indians in a very close home game just the night before. The heist proved once again that the Titans are still the total of their parts, especially with some tight middle-overs and death bowling.
Mohit Sharma’s modifications will come in handy if Chepauk goes back to typing on Tuesday. Mohit has taken 18 wickets at an economy rate of 7.25 in 14 prior IPL games played at this location. As GT returns him to his native country, they will also rely on left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore, who in Ahmedabad found a wet ball to grip and sink in the misty circumstances. In a close defense of their total against MI, GT showed that they could stay on track even when faced with pressure from a six or two. CSK will put their determination to the test more severely because they can field at least ten players who can swing the bat successfully.
When: March 26, 19:30 IST, Chennai Super Kings vs. Gujarat Titans, IPL 2024
Where: Chennai’s M.A. Chidambaram Stadium
Anticipate the unexpected. The first game of the season took place in unusual circumstances. It’s the same kind of unpredictable play that the home team struggled with previous season. According to Fleming, the pitches will be “well-prepared” at this time of year and will only become slow due to wear and tear as the season progresses.
Gujarat Titans 3 – 2 Chennai Super Kings head-to-head
Collective Eye:
Chennai Premier League
Injury/Availability: Fleming verified that Matheesha Pathirana is available for selection, and the player has joined the CSK squad. But benching Mustafizur Rahman after his performance against RCB in the season opener would be incredibly un-CSK-like.
Strategies & Matchups: Shivam Dube could still hold the aces through the middle despite only scoring 71 runs at a strike rate of 116.39 in 5 innings against GT. Rashid Khan and R Sai Kishore, two spinners for GT, are left-handers whose stock delivery will transform into the kind of bowler (left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar) that RCB kept away from Dube last Friday. Rashid, who has 15 IPL deliveries left without dismissing Dube, is going to give you a lot of googlies.
CSK’s right-handed tyro Sameer Rizvi, who has a reputation as a spin hitter, will also be put to the test when he faces Rashid and Sai Kishore.
The probable starting eleven are: MS Dhoni, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Mustafizur Rahman, Ajinkya Rahane, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sameer Rizvi, Ravindra Jadeja, Rachin Ravindra, and Daryl Mitchell. [Shivam Dube filling in for Mustafizur Rahman, Impact Sub]
Gujarat Titans
Injury/Availability: Matthew Wade, who participated in the Sheffield Shield final that took place on March 24, should continue to be sidelined.
Strategies & Matchups: Ruturaj Gaikwad has struggled against left-arm pacers in the PowerPlay of the IPL, with a strike rate of 112.3 and 10 dismissals, but he has four 50-plus scores in five innings against GT at a strike rate of 146.85. Spencer Johnson, please come in.
Ruturaj can easily take down Rashid Khan, scoring 95 runs in 60 balls at a strike rate of 158.33, therefore it won’t be good for GT to let him through to the middle overs.
Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudharsan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Umesh Yadav, and Spencer Johnson are the likely members of the playing eleven. [Mohit Sharma for Sai Sudharsan, Impact Sub]
Were You Aware?
– Ravindra Jadeja has amassed 30 wickets at an economy rate of 6.85 in 43 IPL games at Chepauk.
David Miller has scored 368 runs at a strike rate of 140.45 in 14 innings, showing that he has loved playing against CSK.
– Daryl Mitchell has amassed 1124 runs at a strike average of 142.82 in Twenty20 matches since 2023.
– Since 2023, Azmatullah Omarzai has won 18 wickets at an average of 16.83, a strike rate of 14.67, and an economy rate of 6.88 as a PowerPlay bowler in Twenty20 cricket matches.
What was said by them:
It’s wonderful to win the early game since the competition is still very early, there are still combinations to be worked out, and there is still cohesiveness among the squad you’re working on. However, there is a lot going on in terms of integrating and competing.” – Fleming, Stephen
“It was amazing how the youngsters maintained their composure when the dew was approaching. We are constantly in the game because of the way our spinners bowled. The key is to maintain your composure.” – Gill Shubman
