IPL 2024, Match 7: Chennai Super Kings vs Gujarat Titans Match Preview

Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings. (Photo Source: IPL)

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) square off against Gujarat Titans (GT) in match No. 7 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Tuesday, March 26, in what is going to be a replay of last year’s final. The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai is going to be packed to the rafters as two champion sides are set to face each other after starting their respective campaigns with wins under new captains.

Defending champions CSK hosted Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the season opener at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday, March 22. Faf du Plessis won the toss and elected to bat first. On a tricky surface, the Bengaluru-based franchise managed to get to 173/6 after reeling at 78/5 in the 12th over. In reply, CSK debutant Rachin Ravindra played a blinder of an innings at the top as he amassed 37 off just 15 balls.

New Chennai skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, and Daryl Mitchell got starts but couldn’t convert them into substantial scores. In the end, it was a 66-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube that took the hosts to victory. Incidentally, these two were the ones who finished the match for their team last year in the final against Gujarat Titans. Eventually, the Men in Yellow won by six wickets with eight balls to spare as the legendary MS Dhoni didn’t have to come out to bat.

Gujarat, on the other hand, played on Sunday, March 24 against Mumbai Indians at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. So, the upcoming encounter will be Shubman Gill’s first challenge as GT captain away from home.

Hardik Pandya, who shifted base from Gujarat to Mumbai last year ahead of the auction, won the toss and opted to field first. Wriddhiman Saha hit four boundaries during his 19-run knock before Jasprit Bumrah dismissed him with a pin-point yorker. Saha’s fellow opener Shubman played a good-looking innings of 31 off 22 balls.

After the openers were dismissed, Sai Sudharsan played a very important knock of 45 runs off 39 balls as the pitch showed signs of slowing down. Azmatullah Omarzai hit a boundary and a six before departing for 17. David Miller couldn’t get going as he was dismissed by a trademark slower delivery from Bumrah. Rahul Tewatia played a crucial cameo of 22 runs off 15 balls to take the Titans to 168/6 in their 20 overs.

With the ball, Omarzai gave his team a great start as he got Ishan Kishan out in the first over. Rohit Sharma hit a fluent 43 before R Sai Kishore got the better of him. The Gujarat spin duo of Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore were excellent as their eight overs went for just 47 runs and yielded Rohit’s wicket.

After Rohit’s dismissal, Gujarat kept chipping away at the wickets and eventually restricted the five-time champions to 162/9, winning the clash by six runs. Umesh Yadav defended 19 runs off the last over after getting hit for a six and a four off the first two balls. He bagged two wickets and so did Omarzai, Spencer Johnson, and Mohit Sharma.

M. A. Chidambaram Stadium Pitch Report and Conditions

Run-scoring isn’t easy at this venue and the pitch tends to slow down considerably in the second innings. The powerplay overs are very crucial as the openers have to look to make the best use of the hard new ball and the field restrictions. As the tournament is still in its initial phase, wickets are still going to be better than what they would be in the latter half. Rachin showed the template that openers should go with inside the first six overs. Gujarat have Wriddhiman in their ranks, who can make good use of the field restriction. If he gets going, it would allow Gill to ease into his innings. They also have two quality spinners and can give Chennai a good run for their money at their fortress.

Probable Playing XI

Chennai Super Kings:

The five-time champions are not known for chopping and changing during a tournament. While there is a new captain at the helm, the Super Kings are unlikely to ditch their old philosophy that has worked wonderfully well for them over the years. Especially after a relatively comfortable win in their first game, there is no reason for change in the playing XI, unless some last-minute injury pops up.

Predicted XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande

Also Check: IPL 2024 Points Table

Impact Player: Mustafizur Rahman

Gujarat Titans:

If Gujarat want to play horses for courses, they can bring in the talented Afghan spinner Noor Ahmad into the side in place of Omarzai. However, they will have to bring in an Indian batter in that case in place of Umesh. Abhinav Manohar is a destructive batter who is waiting in the wings for an opportunity. However, with Tewatia, who can bowl some handy leg-spin, already in the side, the Titans might not be compelled to change the winning combination.

Predicted XI: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Azmatullah Omarzai, David Miller, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Umesh Yadav, Sai Kishore, Spencer Johnson

Impact Player: Mohit Sharma

Head-to-Head Record