IND T20 League 2023

GUJ vs CHE, 1st Match

Preview

The much-awaited cricket league is here, the 16th edition of the IND T20 League begins this Friday. Last year's defending Champions Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat franchise is all set to take on the 4-time league winners MS Dhoni-led Chennai in the opening encounter on 31st March, Friday 07:30 PM IST from Narendra Modi Stadium.

Gujarat surprised everyone by winning the tournament in their debut season in 2022, The defending champions GUJ has retained the core team from the last season and will look to make a strong start to the season. Gujarat won both games against the yellow army last year, and it will add to the side's confidence. Pandya-led Franchise play at its home ground and shall have the crowds behind them. Chennai isn't a pushover and has been the most consistent side in the tournament. With both teams looking for a win, we expect a close contest between the bat and the ball.

A total of two matches have been played between GUJ and CHE so far. Both matches were played in IND T20 League 2022. In both these matches, Gujarat defeated Chennai, GUJ defeated CHE by 3 wickets in the first match, and Gujarat won by 7 wickets in the second match. The first match between the two was played in Pune and the second was in Mumbai. 

In the first match played in Pune, Gujarat's dynamic batter David Miller played a blistering inning of 94* runs in 51 balls with the help of 8 fours and 6 sixes while chasing runs. He was awarded the title of 'Man of the Match' for this brilliant inning against Chennai. In the second match played against CHE in Mumbai, GUJ wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha scored an unbeaten 67 runs in 57 balls with 8 fours and 1 six while chasing 134 runs and became the 'Man of the Match'.

29-year-old Pandya likes leading from the front and would aim to do the same in this epic game. GUJ had a dream run last season where its players contributed when the side needed it. The all-rounder will look to draw inspiration from that. Gujarat is up against a strong group of players, and the Gujarat skipper would like his team to start the tournament with a win and set the ball rolling.   

The wicket-keeper batter Saha and destructive batter Gill formed a strong opening combination last season, and GUJ will like a strong show from them. The batting all-rounder Rahul Tewatia is a clean striker and will look to add runs down the order with Rashid Khan.  

Gujarat also has some quality bowling attacks with the likes of Mohammad Shami and Yash Dayal who did a good job last season with the new ball, and Gujarat will expect to see a good show from them in the IND T20 League 2023. Afghanistan's skipper and the number T20I bowler Rashid Khan is the key bowler for the side, and Rashid's spell in the middle overs will be important for the team. GUJ will also depend on the services of Pandya, Alzarri Joseph, and Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore to deliver the goods in the supporting role for the side to win.  

41-year-old and the most experienced candidate in the league, MS Dhoni-led Chennai made headlines for a bad reason last year and finished 9th on the points table after winning only four matches, the worst season ever for the four-time champions. The wicket-keeper batter, who is a veteran of many battles, shall look to inspire his Franchise this season which many believe could be his last season in this league. Chennai needs to get the playing combination right which was one of the problems for the side last season.  

The kiwi opening batter Devon Conway and India's Ruturaj Gaikwad will be key players with the bat, and Chennai needs a good start from them. Both the batters had done well in the last few games. Chennai's middle order has experienced players, and the franchise will expect Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, and Ben Stokes to show their skills and talent in the competition.

The gun bowler and wicket-taker of the side Deepak Chahar must get early breakthroughs for Chennai as he opens the bowling with Rajvardhan Hangargekar. Kiwi spinner Mitchell Santner and India's all-rounder Shivam Dube must bowl tight spells in the middle overs for the side, as Gujarat has a good striker in the side. The all-round trio of Ali, Jadeja, and Stokes complete a balanced attack for Chennai.

Match Details

Match: GUJ vs CHE, 1st Match, IND T20 League 2023

Date: Friday, March 31, 2023

Time: 07:30 PM

Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium Ground, Motera, Ahmedabad

Pitch and Weather Report

The venue has a flat surface and a fast outfield and the batters have done well though the wicket can surprise them with its dual-paced nature. Seamers must rely on their variations to earn rewards on this surface. Spinners get a lot from the surface as the ball turns and stops on the batters.

It isn't a high-scoring ground Narendra Modi Stadium, and bowlers have always had a chance on this surface. Setting up scores can be challenging on this track, as we have seen sides winning when they have a target score in mind. The side winning the toss in this game would happily invite the opponent to bat first on this track.

At Narendra Modi Stadium, the evening would be balmy. The highest and lowest temperature would be around 33℃ and 22℃, respectively, with a wind speed of 18 km/h. As in the last game, the track will be flat, making it simple for batters to execute their strokes and score runs. However, to feel secure, 180+ runs must be scored for the team batting first in this game.

GUJ vs CHE Squads

GUJ: Hardik Pandya (C), Shubman Gill, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, R Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Kane Williamson, Odean Smith, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma

CHE: MS Dhoni (c), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Chowdhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Deepak Chahar, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Sisanda Magala, Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Varma.

GUJ vs CHE Probable Playing XIs

GUJ: Hardik Pandya (c), Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Kane Williamson, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal

CHE: MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ambati Rayudu, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar

Match Prediction

It is going to be a cracker of a contest, with both Gujarat and Chennai looking for a good start. Dhoni-led Chennai must leave the sad memories of last year behind them and play with a fresh mind. Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat will come here with confidence after their show in the last edition. Gujarat has a strong batting line-up and plays at home. It gives them a slight edge in the contest. But we say CHE to win this opening encounter.

Top Fantasy Picks

Shubman Gill is in the tremendous form currently. With nearly 500 runs, dashing Gujarat's opener is the leading run-scorer in the tournament for his side last season. 

Mohammad Shami hasn’t had the best of seasons thus far but we know his prowess with the new ball. He can cause some serious problems for Chennai batters during the initial passage of play. 

Wriddhiman Saha has a blistering average of 78.0 against Chennai and he could be the game-changer in this match.

The gun bowler and wicket-taker of the side Deepak Chahar must get early breakthroughs for Chennai as he opens the bowling with Rajvardhan Hangargekar.

Risky Captaincy Choice 

The all-rounder Rahul Tewatia has scored 217 runs in 16 matches for Gujarat in Indian T20 League 2022. 29-year-old match finisher's average was 31.00 and his strike rate of 147.62. Tewatia hits 22 fours and 9 sixes in that single season. He can change the game at any moment with his batting and bowling which we have seen in the last season as well. 

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