The highly anticipated final of the IPL 2023 will be played between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday (May 29) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It will be the third game of the season between the two teams. Out of the four encounters between the two teams in the IPL thus far, GT have three victories, including the league stage match earlier this season. However, in their most recent encounter, CSK emerged victorious.
CSK defeated GT in the first qualifier to book their place in the final. They scored 172 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs while batting first after losing the toss. Both the openers, Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad, continued their brilliant form this season and added 87 runs for the first wicket. In reply, GT could make only 157 runs and lost the game by 15 runs. Shubman Gill was the highest-scorer for GT with 42 runs off 38 deliveries, but no other batter could manage to stay at the crease for a significant time. Rashid Khan did score 30 runs off 16 deliveries, but that was not enough.
GT played the second qualifier against Mumbai Indians on Friday and batted first after losing the toss. Shubman Gill scored his third century of the season and surpassed Faf du Plessis to become the leading run-scorer in the tournament. He made 129 runs at a massive strike rate of 215 and helped GT post a total of 233 runs for the loss of three wickets. In reply, MI lost three wickets in the PowerPlay. But, the trio of Tilak Varma, Cameron Green, and Suryakumar Yadav provided stability to the innings. The other batters couldn’t do much once Suryakumar was dismissed in the 15th over. In the end, MI were all out for 171 runs in 18.2 overs and lost the game by 62 runs.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI
Chennai Super Kings
RD Gaikwad, Devon Conway, AT Rayudu, Ajinkya Rahane, MM Ali, RA Jadeja, S Dubey, MS Dhoni(C), DL Chahar, TU Deshpande, M Theekshana
BENCH : Ben Stokes, Mitchell Santner, RS Hangargekar, SP Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Simarjeet Singh, SSB Magala, Dwaine Pretorius, Bhagath Varma, AJ Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Prashant Solanki, Akash Singh
Gujarat Titans
Shubman Gill, HH Pandya(C), Sai Sudharsan, DA Miller, Vijay Shankar, R Tewatia, Wriddhiman Saha(wk), Rashid Khan, M Shami, MM Sharma, Noor Ahmad
BENCH : Kane Williamson, J Little, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, KS Bharat, A Manohar, J Yadav, MS Wade, Urvil Patel, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Odean Smith, Shivam Mavi, DG Nalkande, PJ Sangwan, D Shanaka
PITCH REPORT
The recent matches played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad have witnessed high-scoring encounters, with teams posting formidable totals. The pitch has generally favored batters, allowing them to score freely once they settle in. However, variations in pace and spin have proved vital for bowlers to control the flow of runs. The toss could play a vital role, with the team winning it likely opting to bat first and set a commanding total on the board.
