Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans will be squaring off against each other in the much-awaited final match of IPL 2023 on Sunday, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The MS Dhoni-led team will be coming to this clash after defeating GT in the Qualifier 1 by 15 runs. On the other hand, the defending champions thrashed Mumbai Indians by 62 runs in the Qualifier 2. It will be interesting to see whether CSK will be able to clinch their fifth title or will Gujarat emerge as the winners for the second time.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni wouldn't mind a 'Farewell to Remember' but a young Shubman Gill, oozing grace, would do everything under his control to prevent Chennai Super Kings from beating Gujarat Titans.
In this CSK set-up, he could afford to bat at No. 8 in most games but entering the finals with a bowling line-up that missed Deepak Chahar for the better part of fist half and had to turn a profligate Tushar Deshpande into a dependable wicket-taker.
Turning an inconsistent Shivam Dube into a six-hitting bully or overseeing the return of Ravindra Jadeja, the T20 bowler, the legend of Dhoni will never cease to exist. It will only grow and his captaincy stories will also be burnished with coats of myth decades down the line.
Batters win matches but bowlers win tournaments is an old saying and it couldn't be more apt when one tracks Titans' performance.
Mohammed Shami (28 wickets), Rashid Khan (27 wickets) and Mohit Sharma (24 wickets) have executed plans more often than not and thus it hasnt really effected the Titans that second highest run-scorer after Gill's 851 runs is skipper Hardik Pandya (325), who is more than 500 runs behind.
CSK's Predicted XI against GT: Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana.
GT's Predicted XI against CSK: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudarshan, Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma.
(With PTI Inputs)