State of Play
Succeeding MS Dhoni on the eve of a new season is no easy task but new Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad could scarcely have asked for a better start as his team controlled almost the entirety of their IPL 2024 opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore, winning by six wickets.
Gaikwad saw “lots of positives” in the display and praised the impact of Mustafizur Rahman following the fast bowler’s introduction.
India international Gaikwad showed some shrewd judgement in his bowling choices but said there were “definitely two or three things to work on”, naming an improved performance from Chennai’s top three batsmen among the priorities.
Dhoni remains a heavily influential figure in Gaikwad’s side, and tighter bowling – potentially helped by Matheesha Pathirana on the pacer’s return from a hamstring injury – could also be key against one of the teams capable of matching CSK’s all-round squad strength.
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The IPL’s youngest captain, Shubman Gill, awaits Gaikwad and his team after leading the Gujarat Titans to a six-run win over the Mumbai Indians.
Despite posting a beatable-looking total of 162, Sai Kishore and Rashid Khan’s bowling helped the Titans start victoriously for a third successive campaign.
This is GT’s chance for revenge after losing to CSK by five wickets in the IPL 2023 final 10 months ago in Ahmedabad, when Hardik Pandya was their captain.
𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘪…𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞! 💪⚡️#AavaDe | #GTKarshe | #TATAIPL2024 pic.twitter.com/61VJxzkkCC
— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) March 25, 2024
Expected line-ups
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Sameer Rizvi, MS Dhoni, Deepak Chahar, Mustafizur Rehman, Tushar Deshpande
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudarshan, Azmatullah Omarzai, David Miller, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Umesh Yadav, Spencer Johnson, Mohit Sharma
How to watch
Sky have the rights to show the IPL to UK viewers in 2024 and will broadcast every game live. Tuesday’s match will be shown on Sky Sports Cricket from 1.50pm GMT. Coverage on Sky Sports Main Event starts at 2pm.
Prediction
Gill scored 63 and Rashid Khan took 2/26 when the Titans won this match in the opener at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium last season, and they may need to find similar form this time if they are to beat opponents who have batters of the calibre of Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra.
CSK have won five of their six matches at their home stadium since then, justifying their status as slight favourites on a pitch which averaged 170 last season.
