7.20pm That is a bold call from CSK to drop go with one genuine spin option at Chepauk. Santner might still come in as a sub, though Gaikwad said that Pathirana will be included. Titans have a balanced side, and will bank on their batters to chase down anything. Will we see Rachin Ravindra getting a bowl here? And on the subject of Rachin, here’s Deiva about an unlikely Wellington reunion in Chennai.
Elsewhere, India chase their FIFA World Cup dream in a qualification match against Afghanistan in what happens to be Sunil Chhetri’s 150th match. Follow it live, here.
Here’s Daryl Mitchell: Excited to see the first game here in front of a full crowd at home. (CSK fanbase) Its amazing. Coming from a little country at the bottom of the earth, this is really special. (Gujarat Titans’ challenge) They’ve been at the pointy end of the last two tournaments, they know how to win. For us it is to control what we can, do the little things well. (New captain) He’s obviously a good man. He’s a world-class batter at the top of the order. He is cool and calm like MS. (Chennai conditions, typical?) The characteristics of the pitch are similar to what we’ve seen at CSK.
Aditya: “Woah! The new generation of captaincy coming into effect! You normally don’t see Dhoni making bold changes like these but Gaikwad is ready to take it on. Loving it!”
Sai: “Great prediction, Joy!”
Tariq : “Omerzai will be interesting to watch with bat and same as Rashid”
Playing XIs
Chennai Super Kings:: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), 2 Rachin Ravindra, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Sameer Rizvi, 8 MS Dhoni (wk), 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Tushar Deshpande, 11 Mustafizur Rahman
Subs: Matheesha Pathirana, Shardul Thakur, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Mitchell Santner
Gujarat Titans: 1 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 2 Shubman Gill (capt), 3 Azmatullah Omarzai, 4 David Miller, 5 Vijay Shankar, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 R Sai Kishore, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Spencer Johnson
Subs: Sai Sudharsan, BR Sharath, Abhinav Manohar, Manav Suthar, Noor Ahmad
7pm Toss: Gujarat Titans have won the toss and will bowl first. Titans are going in unchanged, but CSK have one change. They have Pathirana coming in for Theekshana.
Gill: That [first] match was very physically and mentally exhausting. Quick turnaround, but we are are used to it. It was a tremendous feeling to be able to be down in the game and then come back. It showed the character of our team. We are going with the same team.
Huge applause for Gaikwad: We were looking to bowl first. Wicket is similar to what we had in the first game. Batting first here is not much difference. I would say, slightly rusty start but we came back well. And once we came back we did not allow them to be back. Everyone showed good intent. In place of Theeskahana, we have our Malinga, Pathirana.
Pitch report from Anjum Chopra and Mathew Hayden: Lovely to be back. Really good wicket. There was quite a lot of bounce in the first game. There is a lot of grass on the surface. Very unusual for Chepauk to have grass. The way Chahar bowled in the first game, it was carrying really nicely through. There are patches where it is a little uneven with the grass surface. Very much inside the first four or five overs to do the damage and then the spin comes into its own and it gets tough. That is where CSK come to their own. It is a bat first wicket.
6.55pm Another interesting subplot in this game is the Chennai boys vs Chennai Super Kings. Titans have as many as five Tamil Nadu players in their side – Sai Sudharsan, Sai Kishore, Vijay Shankar, Shahrukh Khan and Sandeep Warrier. Among the quintet, Sudharsan, Kishore and Vijay are set to slot into Titans’ XI or XII (accounting for the Impact Player). Sudharsan, Kishore and Vijay all have been part of CSK or Junior Super Kings, their grassroots programme. And back in the day, Shahrukh used to be a ball boy at Chepauk for IPL matches. In contrast, CSK don’t have a single local player in their main squad.
CricDude: “GT needs to relook at their middle order. Except Tewatia, all others take time to settle. They need to bring in Abhinav Manohar who can keep the run rate up.”
6.50pm New captains Gill and Gaikwad have already grabbed the headlines with their captaincy. After Titans snatched victory from Mumbai debutant Spencer Johnson talked up Gill’s leadership, saying the captain sat alongside him on the bus to help calm his nerves in the lead-up to the game. As for Gaikwad, he rifled through fielding changes in his first game as IPL captain, and one such change, which involved extra-cover moving to sweeper cover, brought CSK their first wicket. The two new captains will once again be in the spotlight. Here’s Deivarayan Muthu with the preview.
Joy: “If Pathirana is good to go, I would bring him in for Theekshana. If the pitch proves to be assisting spinners a bit, there will be the option of using Rachin.”
6.40pm Remember the last time CSK and Titans came face-to-face? It was the final of IPL 2023 which began on a Sunday and ended on a Tuesday. In between there was a clash which ebbed and flowed like you won’t believe. And in the end, with CSK requiring 10 off 2, Ravindra Jadeja struck a six and a four to help CSK secure a fifth IPL final. If the two teams can recreate even half of the drama from that game, we’re in for some fun.
6.30pm Hello and welcome to match number 7 of IPL 2024 as Chennai Super Kings get all set to host Gujarat Titans. Both teams made a winning start to their season. While CSK got the better of RCB in a high-octane clash on the opening day of the tournament, Titans scored a sensational come-from-behind win against Mumbai Indians on home territory. Six games so far this season, six wins for home teams. Can Titans buck the trend and breach Fortress Chepauk or will CSK continue their winning run at home? I am Ashish Pant, and will soon be joined by Sreshth Shah as we try and answer all your questions from what should be a pulsating clash.
