IPL 2023, Qualifier 1 - Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings, Preview & Expected XI

IPL 2023 Qualifier 1 Preview (Image Source: Google)

Defending Champions and the table toppers Gujarat Titans will lock horns against Chennai Super Kings in the first qualifier of IPL 2023 at M.A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday, 23rd May at 7:30 pm IST. 

Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings Qualifier 1 

It is a battle between the two best teams in the league. One is the defending champion, while the other is a four-time winner. Gujarat Titans have dominated Chennai Super Kings in the IPL since they arrived in 2022. The Super Kings have never won a match against the Titans, such has been the dominance of Gujarat over the most successful team in the history of the IPL.

Gujarat Titans

Gujarat Titans are coming into this game after a victory against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru. The Titans won their last league match by six wickets. Shubman Gill scored a match-winning hundred as the Titans chased down 198 runs to eliminate RCB from the playoffs in front of their home crowd.

The Titans are on their way to winning their second IPL title and retaining their championship. The Gujarat Titans are one of the most balanced teams in the IPL.

Openers Subhman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha have together scored over 400 runs this season. Saha has played the aggressor role, allowing Shubman Gill to play longer innings. Sai Sudarshan and Vijay Shankar have been phenomenal in the middle overs. Vijay Shankar, after a poor season, is finally delivering for his team. He has scored 287 runs in nine innings, smashing three fifties.

Hardik Pandya batted high up the order in the first few matches but moved down to number 5 later in the season. David Miller and Rahul Tewatia are the team's most dependable finishers, along with Rashid Khan.

The bowling attack looks formidable with Rashid Khan, Mohmmad Shami, and Mohit Sharma. Noor Ahmed has been the X factor for the Titans with his impeccable variations.

Gujarat Titans won six matches while chasing and four matches while batting first. Gujarat has a better record while chasing than defending.

Gujarat Titans Playoff Record

Gujarat Titans played two matches in the IPL Playoffs and won two matches. David Miller has the highest score of 68 runs in the playoffs, the best for the Gujarat Titans.

Chennai Super Kings

The Chennai Super Kings are coming off a victory against the Delhi Capitals. Chennai won their last match by 77 runs against Delhi. They ended the league stage with 17 points and finished second in the points table.

The Chennai Super Kings are back in the playoffs. They have now qualified for a record 12th trip to the playoffs. The most by any team in the history of the Indian Premier League

Openers Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad scored over 500 runs in the season. The second pair of openers to score over 500 runs individually after Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli

The middle order looks destructive with the likes of Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, and Ajinkya Rahane.

Rahane and Dube tore apart opponent teams during the league stage, smashing sixes for fun. Dube is 2nd on the list of most sixes hit in the season. He has smashed 33 sixes and needs four more to surpass Faf du Plessis.

Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja scored when the team needed them the most, and they were phenomenal with the ball in the middle overs.

Bowling was a big issue for CSK at the start of the season, but with the arrival of Deepak Chahar and Matheesh Pathirana, they have now sorted out their main concerns. Pathirana is the most economical bowler in the death overs this season. He has picked up 15 wickets in 11 matches.

With the match being played in Chennai, the home advantage can go in their favor as their opponents have never played on this track. CSK has won 4 matches and lost 3 matches at Chennai this season. 

Chennai Super Kings Playoff Records

The Chennai Super Kings played 24 matches in the playoffs. They won 15 matches and lost nine. While batting first, they won seven matches and eight matches while batting second.

Suresh Raina holds the record for the most runs scored by a CSK batsman in the playoffs. Raina has amassed 712 runs in 22 innings.

GT vs CSK Head-to-Head Record 

Matches Played: 3  

Gujarat Titans Won: 3 

Chennai Super Kings Won: 0  

Ground Stats and Pitch Report, Chennai 

The surface at Chennai is a balanced track. Spinners get a lot of assistance from the track. The team winning the toss prefers to bat first. 

Matches Played: 74  

Teams won batting 1st: 44  

Teams won batting 2nd: 30  

Average 1st Innings score 163 runs

GT vs CSK Expected Playing XI 

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Hardik Pandya ©, David Miller, Vijay Shankar, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Mohammad Shami, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed, Mohit Sharma. 

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Deepak Chahar, Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana.

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Vishnu Reddy/Cricketnmore