Ahmedabad, May 21:
Eyeing a top-two finish to ensure a shot at Qualifier 1, Gujarat Titans will have their tails up when they face a flagging Chennai Super Kings side seeking to regain lost ground after a rather disappointing campaign, in their IPL match here on Thursday.
A top-two placement at the end of the league stage grants the teams two opportunities to reach the final.
Currently placed second with 16 points, the Titans are in a three-way battle alongside table-toppers Royal Challengers Bengaluru (18 points) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (16 points), and victory against CSK will vastly improve their chances of a top-two finish in the group phase.
A victory over CSK by a heavy margin could even push GT past RCB’s (+1.065) net run rate, depending on other fixtures. And if SRH too win their final league stage game against RCB, the battle for the second spot will come down to net run rate.
In this scenario, GT hold slight edge with their NNR (+0.400) being better than Sunrisers’ +0.350.
On the other hand, with their playoff hopes inching closer to getting extinguished after a narrow loss to SRH, the five-time former champions Chennai Super Kings will seek to salvage pride in what could be their final outing in this edition.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s men have been pushed to the brink of elimination and require a victory along with other results to go their way to stay in contention for the last playoffs berth.
Going into the contest on the traditionally batting friendly strip at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Titans’ captain Shubman Gill is in excellent form, and so is his opening partner Sai Sudharsan. For the opening pair, negotiating early swing and controlling the powerplay will be crucial against the CSK bowling attack.
The middle overs will likely feature a fascinating tactical battle, with GT’s star spinner Rashid Khan testing a seasoned CSK solid line-up.
Gill, Jos Buttler, and Sudharsan will continue to anchor Gujarat’s batting. However, because GT’s middle order lacks consistency, Chennai would attempt to squeeze them early via left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein, who has previously dismissed Gill twice in T20s.
Sanju Samson stands out as CSK’s best option to tackle the spin of Rashid and Co. in the middle overs. Samson’s ability to counter the Afghanistan star’s wrist spin is likely going to to dictate whether CSK can put up a competitive total or chase down a target if batting second.
Historically, the rivalry is evenly poised at the moment with a head-to-head record of 4-4. However, the Titans have dominated of late, having thrashed Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets earlier in the season at Chepauk.
The man doing the bulk of the damage for GT in their previous face-off is Kagiso Rabada, who destroyed CSK’s top order with a three-wicket haul, and it is imperative from the visitors’ point of view that Gaikwad and Samson survive his opening spell to protect a vulnerable middle order.
While injuries to multiple key players didn’t help their cause this season, CSK’s bowling has also lacked penetration and consistency, even as GT’s attack often looking like a well-oiled machine.