The 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to kick off with a blockbuster clash as the defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) will be up against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. CSK will again be led by MS Dhoni, for the 14th time after he was given the captaincy duties back in the second half of IPL 2022 by Ravindra Jadeja. CSK finished 9th on the points table in the 10-team tournament last year but a couple of new additions and a comeback has made the team stronger this year at least on paper.
IPL 2021’s Orange Cap winner Ruturaj Gaikwad will open the innings for the Men in Yellow once again alongside Devon Conway. The left-hander has been in terrific form with the bat for New Zealand across all formats and in the limited chances he got for CSK last year, he decimated the bowling attacks with aggressive batting. With no Robin Uthappa anymore, Moeen Ali will bat and No. 3 and his England compatriot will join him at No. 4. Top-order is the best place for Stokes to bat in T20Is and will continue the same for CSK.
After Stokes, the usual trio of Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja and captain MS Dhoni will follow. It was reported that Dhoni could miss the opener with a niggle in his left knee but CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan confirmed it to PTI that he will play the game, unless a serious injury.
Even though the left-hander Shivam Dube performed really well for CSK last year but with Dwaine Pretorius set to play the first couple of games in Maheesh Theekshana’s absence, CSK could throw in the Under-19 World Cup 2022 star Rajvardhan Hangargekar in. The Maharashtra all-rounder warmed the bench for the whole season last year but with a year of experience under his belt, CSK could give him a go.
Apart from those two, Deepak Chahar and Simarjeet Singh will share the new-ball duties. Chahar will finally return to the CSK fold after missing the entire 2022 season and Delhi pacer Simarjeet, who played a few games in the second half last year impressed with his accuracy and swing bowling and will be crucial for his side with no Mukesh Choudhary this time around.
CSK’s likely playing XI vs GT: Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube/Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Dwaine Pretorius, Deepak Chahar, Simarjeet Singh
Impact Player: Shivam Dube/Rajvardhan Hangargekar
