The Qualifier 1 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) will see the clash between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on May 23. While CSK qualified for the playoffs after playing their last game of the league stage, GT cruised into the same fairly easily and second time in a row.
The Hardik Pandya-led side defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 34 runs to become the first team to advance to the IPL 2023 playoff. Meanwhile, the four-time champions qualified for the playoffs after defeating Delhi Capitals (DC) by a margin of 77 runs, on Saturday, May 20, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
GT are riding on some really good form as they defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday, May 21, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in their final league stage clash. GT have accumulated 20 points from 14 matches. CSK, on the other hand, finished in second place on the IPL 2023 points table with 17 points from 14 games.
Shubman Gill’s form is a massive positive for Gujarat as the right-handed batter looks in the form of his life. He scored an unbeaten hundred while chasing in the game against Bangalore and helped his side finish the league stage on a tremendous high.
On the other hand, during CSK’s last encounter, skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and decided to bat first. Openers Ruturaj Gaikawd and Devon Conway put on a 141-run partnership as CSK posted a mammoth 223 in 20 overs. CSK bowlers were instrumental as DC were restricted to 146/9 in 20 overs.
Both GT and CSK have clashed three times in the cash-rich league, in which Gujarat have won on all three occasions. They have met only once this season, and it was the curtain raiser at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Both CSK and GT have several quality players in their squads. Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad are among the leading run scorers for CSK this season, with 585 and 504 runs respectively in 14 matches. Meanwhile, Tushar Deshpande and Ravindra Jadeja are the leaidng wicket-takers for the MS Dhoni-led side, having picked up 20 and 17 wickets respectively.
GT’s strength in the bowling department are Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan who hold the first and second positions in the IPL 2023 Purple Cap list, having picked up 24 wickets each.
