Defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) will hope to extend their unbeaten run against MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the playoff stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on Tuesday. Riding on Shubman Gill’s brilliant century, Hardik Pandya’s GT crashed the playoff hopes of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their final league game to secure the top position on the IPL 2023 points table.
Gill, who has been a prolific run-scorer for GT in IPL 2023, smashed back-to-back tons in the league stage of the tournament. The India opener overshadowed Virat Kohli to secure second place in the race for this season’s Orange Cap. GT defeated RCB by 6 wickets in the final league game of IPL 2023.
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Even though Gill trumped Kohli to knock RCB out of the IPL 2023, legendary Indian opener Virender Sehwag has overlooked the in-form batter as he picked Rashid Khan as Gujarat’s trump card for their upcoming match against CSK in the Qualifier 1 of IPL 2023.
During a chat on Star Sports, Virender Sehwag said, “Rashid Khan is the trump card for Gujarat. If they want wickets, they bring him. And then the way Hardik has used Rashid, it is commendable. Rashid likes to break partnerships and now he has become the most successful bowler of this season on the basis of his excellent performance.”
Showcasing his bowling exploits in the league stage of IPL 2023, Rashid bagged a stunning hat-trick against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Ahmedabad. The GT star also played a fiery knock of 79 on 32 deliveries against Mumbai Indians (MI) to rewrite history in the IPL. Rashid holds the record for registering the highest score ever by a No.8 batter in the history of IPL.
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The Afghanistan spinner is also leading the race to win the prestigious Purple Cap this season. The GT spinner has taken the joint-most wickets by a bowler in the league stage of the IPL 2023. Rashid and pace ace Mohammed Shami have picked up 24 wickets each this season. Pandya’s GT will meet CSK in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.
