IPL 2023 Qualifier 1: GT, CSK eye ticket to final
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will take on defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 1 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season on May 23. Although GT have been on a roll, the Yellow Army have the edge as their home ground MA Chidambaram Stadium will host the match. GT topped the table with 10 points, while second-placed CSK claimed eight wins.
Pitch report, timing, and streaming details
Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium will host this duel on May 23 (7:30pm). In seven home games in Chennai this season, CSK have prevailed four times while losing thrice. They have won 44 out of 63 IPL games here. The track at this venue usually assists the spinners. Star Sports will telecast the match, while fans can also live-stream it on JioCinema.
Here's the head-to-head record
Interestingly, the opener of the ongoing season saw the battle between none other than CSK and GT. Shubman Gill (63) and Rashid Khan (2/26) starred in that contest as GT won by five wickets. Last year, which marked GT's debut, CSK lost both their league games against the Titans. Hence, Hardik Pandya's men are yet to be defeated by the Men in Yellow.
Record 12th playoffs for CSK
CSK have been one of the most successful franchises in the competition. CSK qualified for the playoffs, for a record 12 times. They missed out on the top four only last season and also in 2020. They won the title in 2021, beating KKR in the finals. CSK did not feature in 2016 and 2017 due to a spot-fixing ban.
Another successful season for GT
It has been another sensational season for GT as they look like a solid unit raring to defend their IPL crown. This is only their second IPL season and both times they have finished at the top of the points table. Their exceptional bowling attack and a solid top order helped them maintain their dominance in the league phase for the second successive season.
A look at the Probable XIs
CSK (Probable XI): Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (captain and wicket-keeper), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, and Maheesh Theekshana. GT (Probable XI): Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya (captain), Dasun Shanaka, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami, and Yash Dayal.
Who are the top performers?
Both CSK openers Conway (585) and Gaikwad (504) have scored over 500 runs in IPL 2023. The duo has been giving CSK scintillating starts throughout the tournament. Besides, Gill (680) leads the tally for GT and is the second-highest run-scorer of the season. CSK's Dube has a strike rate of 160.41. Both Shami and Rashid have 24 wickets from 14 matches.
A look at Fantasy XI options
Fantasy XI (Option 1): Devon Conway, Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vice-captain), David Miller, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Rashid Khan, and Deepak Chahar. Fantasy XI (Option 1): Devon Conway, Shubman Gill (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, David Miller, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja (vice-captain), Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar, Mohammed Shami, Rashid Khan, and Tushar Deshpande.
