The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is scheduled to be commencing on the 31st of March and the final will be played on the 28th of May. A total of 10 teams will be participating in this tournament in 70 league games. The defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) will be taking on one of the most successful sides Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the opening match of this season of the TATA IPL.
Gujarat Titans will start as one of the favorites to win the season. They have a good mix of youth and experience, with Kane Williamson adding some much-needed stability to the batting unit. On the other hand, Chennai Super Kings comprises a lot of experience in their squad, with Ben Stokes joining them in the off-season. Although they are missing some key bowlers due to international commitments, CSK will fancy their chances of a win.
Gujarat Titans won four matches out of their last five matches while Chennai Super Kings managed to win just a single game of their last five games. These two teams have played 2 matches against each other in the history of the IPL so far where GT dominated in both the games over CSK. Another thriller of a contest is expected here as these two teams take on each other in the season opener.
Gujarat Titans (GT)
With the likelihood of starting with four foreigners, a top-order batter, a finisher in the middle order, a T20 all-time great – Rashid Khan, and a death overs bowler – Alzarri Joseph – GT is unlikely to exploit the tactic of naming just three foreigners in their playing XI. The likes of Jayant Yadav can be in XI as a match-up option while Yash Dayal will be bringing in the left-arm seam angle, and additionally, two of the many batting options that GT have could be used to bolster that facet of their game.
Probable XI: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Hardik Pandya, David Miller/ Matthew Wade, Rahul Tewatia, R Sai Kishore, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Shivam Mavi, Mohammed Shami
Four possible Impact Subs: Jayant Yadav, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudarshan/KS Bharat, Yash Dayal.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Jamieson was ruled out due to stress fractures to his back that needed surgery. CSK brought in South Africa’s Sisanda Magala, who can be their go-to death-over specialist this season. Additionally, Magala can also swing for the fences with conviction lower down the order. Among other misses, they will miss the services of left-arm pacer Mukesh Choudhary. CSK will also be without Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana for their first three games of the season owing to national duty.
Probable XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni, Deepak Chahar, Sisanda Magala, Simarjeet Singh, and Dwaine Pretorius
Four possible Impact Subs: Tushar Deshpande, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Prashant Solanki, Prashant Solanki.
Fantasy XI Suggestion 1:
Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Kane Williamson, Dwaine Pretorius, Ravindra Jadeja (vc), Ben Stokes (c), Moeen Ali, Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Shami
Fantasy XI Suggestion 2:
Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Ben Stokes, Dwaine Pretorius (c), Moeen Ali, Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan (vc), Mohammad Shami, Alzarri Joseph
