By Bharath Ramaraj
It wasn’t long ago that India were taking on Australia in the third and final ODI of a three-match series at the Chepauk Stadium. But such is the hectic schedule that it seems as if the cricketing landscape is akin to a train chugging along, non-stop, for 52 weeks a year. For the next couple of months, it would be about 10 Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises competing in the fast-paced T20 format.
The 16th edition will be launched with Gujarat Titans, the defending champions, locking horns against Chennai Super Kings, four-time winners, at the colosseum that is the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It is time for home fans to say ‘Aava De’ (Bring it on). Some 1850 km away in Chennai, fans would be hoping that ‘Thala’ Dhoni once again turns out to be an inspirational figure for CSK.
Although GT won the title last year, it seemed as if a couple of nuts and bolts weren’t exactly fitting into the playing XI. In the subsequent mini-auction, the think-tank picked Kane Williamson to provide a bit of buffer to the top order. The experienced cricketer would look to erase the lines of disappointment and frustration of his modest returns in last season’s IPL and put up a good show for his new franchise.
Shubman Gill, another of their top-order players, has been in fine form in limited overs cricket in the last six months. But the main engine room for GT is the middle order comprising Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan. Miller, though, won’t be available for the first few games because of national-team obligations.
Meanwhile, CSK have injury worries to ponder. Mukesh Choudhary has been ruled out of IPL 2023 with a back problem. Ben Stokes, their star all-rounder, can only bat during the first half of the IPL as he is nursing a knee problem. Incidentally, in the T20 World Cup held in Australia last year, Stokes was consistently getting around 2 degrees of swing with the new ball. To make matters worse, Dhoni himself is struggling with a knee problem. Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana and Sisanda Magala are all on national duty.
Venue and Time
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, 7.30 PM IST.
Toss and expected conditions
In last year’s IPL, both matches played at the stadium were won by the team batting second. Meanwhile, four of the seven T20Is have been won by team batting first. To add to the intrigue, the ground has six red-soil pitches and five black-soil ones. So, the decision at the toss could depend on whether a black-soil or red-soil pitch would be used. It rained overnight but the weather is expected to be clear on Friday.
Head-to-Head
Gujarat Titans have a 2-0 advantage.
Possible XIs and Impact Player Watch
This season, we will see the introduction of the Impact Player rule, with the captains getting the opportunity to choose their respective XIs after the flip of the coin. Depending on the situation of the game, GT could opt for Sai Sudarshan or Abhinav Manohar as the Impact Player. Meanwhile, CSK could keep an eye on Rajvardhan Hangargekar. He hits the deck hard and can club a few sixes down the order.
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Kane Williamson, Hardik Pandya (C), Matthew Wade, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Shami.
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C, WK), R Jadeja, Dwaine Pretorius, Deepak Chahar, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh.