IPL 2023 comes full circle as wily CSK face defending champs Titans at Motera

Big picture: Dhoni vs Hardik, one more time

IPL 2023 has come full circle. The season started with Hardik Pandya’s Gujarat Titans taking on MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad. In the final on Sunday, the two teams will once again be face-to-face at the same venue.

Moreover, CSK have lost all three games they have played in Ahmedabad so far. This is the only venue in the IPL where they have played at least three games and are yet to register a win. Titans, meanwhile, have six wins in nine outings here.

Having said that, CSK will be looking to embellish their already fabulous record; they are the second-most successful team in the tournament’s history. One more trophy and they will draw level with Mumbai Indians with five. On the other side, Titans will be keen to establish their dominance. They surprised everyone by emerging as champions in their debut season. They will be focused on making it two in two.

Apart from this being a battle between two sides built around the same philosophy – of keeping things simple, backing their players, and creating a relaxed team environment – there is the sub-plot of Hardik, the protégé, looking to trump Dhoni, the mentor.

Sunday’s game will be Dhoni’s 11th IPL final (his tenth with CSK); no player has featured in more. Hardik has been a part of five before 2023; he has never finished on the losing side. Hardik has always said he has learnt a lot, not just about cricket but also life, from Dhoni. Sunday evening will be a test of all that he has learnt over the years.

Form guide

Gujarat Titans WLWWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Chennai Super Kings WWLWW

Team news: No injury concerns

Coming into Qualifier 2 against Mumbai Indians, Hardik had not bowled in the previous four matches. With him having rolled his arm over against Mumbai, there are no known injury concerns in either camp.

Impact Player strategy: Sticking to the template

Both teams are expected to be unchanged. One of Shubman Gill and Josh Little will be Titans’ Impact Player, depending on whether they are bowling first or batting. For CSK, Shivam Dube and Matheesha Pathirana are likely to be in similar roles.

Gujarat Titans (probable XII): 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Sai Sudharsan, 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 Vijay Shankar, 6 David Miller, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Rahul Tewatia, 9 Noor Ahmed, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Mohammed Shami, 12 Josh Little

Chennai Super Kings (probable XII): 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Shivam Dube, 4 Ajinkya Rahane, 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Ambati Rayudu, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Tushar Deshpande, 11 Maheesh Theekshana, 12 Matheesha Pathirana

Stats that matter: Shami vs CSK openers

Pitch and conditions: Win the toss and bat?

The weather is expected to be cloudy but there is no serious rain threat.

The big question

Quotes

“We have been confident when we have chased, but we have also defended some probably par and below-par total totals. Our bowling attack has, at times, played its part too. Not just this year but last year as well. So it’s not just the case that if we chase then we are more competitive. We are confident that the balance we have within the group allows us the opportunity to win if we play to our potential, whether it is batting first or batting second.”
Titans’ director of cricket Vikram Solanki

“We are realistic about how difficult it is to get to this stage. That’s why we are proud of our record of being consistent over a period of time. We have been able to put performances together under pressure when we have been in form or out of form or when we have got new players. The greatest challenge of this competition is when you get a new team that’s going really well and you have got to disband and you can only keep four players. The fact that we have been able to stay consistent with those rules in place is something we look back very proudly on.”
CSK head coach Stephen Fleming