TACTICAL PREVIEW
Follow UsJust a week ago, on May 16, Chennai’s weather was sizzling, recording a high of 42.7 degrees Celsius. However, the heat rarely matters outside the Chepauk where the demands for a playoff ticket are as soaring as the mercury in the city.
It didn’t end there, people broke the internet in pursuit of getting their hands on the most prized possession in the country at the moment: a ticket to watch MS Dhoni play in Chennai. It is a ticket that has seen several travel from across the borders, across the hemispheres, and some even braving a massive weather change.
So when Chennai players set their foot on the ground on Tuesday (May 23), there will be more than just a roar. A roar that even the highest of capacity crowds in the country can’t replicate. Up against that will be a brave Gujarat Titans.
Multiple times this season, Gujarat have looked like they are the getaway winners of this league. A team filled with match-winners have rarely ever disappointed, and even with 20 points in the group stage, they know that the biggest challenge awaits them: facing CSK in Chennai.
Legacies are attached to the venue. This fixture between Gujarat and Chennai will be nothing short, it is an encounter to fight for the ultimate legacy, the IPL title.
What to watch out for
A battle of contrasting winning methods
CSK have been content with batting first in most games this tournament, and have had a happy result while at it. On eight occasions batting first, they have won five encounters, and have shown keenness in batting first on slower surfaces like the ones in Chennai.
And on the other hand are Gujarat, a side that has loved chasing. Since the 2022 IPL, Gujarat batting second has had a win percentage of 82.3. Only Lucknow have had a better win percentage while batting first. So, it has been clear as daylight that Gujarat and Chennai are on either end of the spectrum.
The other night, Chennai suffered from their own decision of batting first against Kolkata Knight Riders in the night game where the pitch became much better and the dew took over in the second innings. So, winning the toss and chasing will be on the minds of the two captains.
Can Conway-Gaikwad repeat Gaikwad-Faf from 2021?
If CSK are to set their foot in the final, they will need their opening pair - Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad - to fire all cylinders. And it is no mystery that the Titans have been one of the best bowling units in the powerplay, largely thanks to the experience of Mohammed Shami. He is a deadly bowler when respected, and on multiple occasions this season, teams have opted to be timid against him.
But when being attacked, like in the clash against RCB, MI and LSG, Shami gave away plenty of runs, across the board. In the game against Mumbai, he conceded 53, and that eventually sealed the deal for the hosts. What Chennai have to do is employ an attacking approach against Shami early on in the powerplay.
Two reasons, one being the obvious Chennai pitch slow-down factor and the other, being to force Gujarat to bowl Rashid and Noor Ahmad early on in the innings. In the 2021 IPL, Faf du Plessis and Gaikwad scored 756 runs as a pair. In 2023, Gaikwad-Conway have already scored 688. So this pair will have to take the attack to Gujarat.
The Rashid Khan threat
Rashid Khan is one of the best in the world in T20 cricket. There are no two ways about that. But if there is one team against which he has struggled, it is CSK. Numerically, against Chennai, the leg-spinner averages 27.8, his worst against any franchise in the competition (min 5 innings). Not just that, against the Men in Yellow, Rashid has picked up just 13 wickets.
Plus the fact that he hasn’t performed in Chennai too will have some sort of impact on the leg-spinner to make amends. Chennai’s intent against spin is well-known this year, with a run-rate of 8.6. Not just that, CSK also have the third-joint best Balls/Boundary against the tweakers. Shivam Dube’s impetus has been monumental towards the cause, with a strike-rate of 171.8 against spin.
Will Dube help Chennai negate and excel the Rashid threat?
Pitch and Conditions
No prizes for guessing, Chepauk is a venue that is known to be a spinner’s paradise. Amongst all venues in this IPL, only Ekana Stadium (41) in Lucknow and Eden Gardens (43) in Kolkata have been a better home for spinners with spinners taking 39 wickets here in Chennai. Chennai also is the second-best venue for bowlers, with an economy of 8.4.
Pacers have picked up 41 wickets at the venue while spinners have picked up 39, with an average of 0.9 wickets in the powerplay. It might be a challenge for the likes of Chahar and Shami to pick up multiple wickets in the first six here.
Only three wins at the venue have been for teams batting first. So, the sane decision will be to chase a target here in Chennai.
Tactical Nous
Rahane could be CSK’s key
Ajinkya Rahane hasn’t been in excellent touch in the past few games, and on more occasions than one, hasn’t been utilized at all by the franchise owing to their excellent start. If Chennai do lose a wicket in the powerplay, it would be a wise decision to send in Rahane, for he has excellent numbers against Mohammed Shami. Against the paceman, the right-hander has scored 86 runs at a strike-rate of 172 without losing a single wicket.
It doesn’t end there. Against Mohit Sharma, he strikes at 151.3, averaging 59. If Hardik decides to bowl, Rahane excels in that match-up as well with a 200 strike-rate. Against Rashid too, Rahane has an average of 41 and a strike-rate above 120. Everything is stacked up right for Rahane.
How to get Gill?
While Wriddhiman Saha is an extremely vital cog in this GT setup, he has been dismissed 11 times in the powerplay, the most for any batter. So, the onus lies on Shubman Gill, who walks into this fixture on the back of two IPL centuries. That too back-to-back. He’s only been dismissed thrice in the competition in the first ten deliveries. It is the Test match length that has troubled the right-hander.
Anything on the fuller side, Gill has had his issues with nine dismissals, in comparison with the four dismissals against short deliveries. On a pitch like Chennai, the CSK bowlers would want to target more fuller, in an attempt to get Gill driving. He survived multiple close shouts against RCB too en route to a century.
Team news and combination
The biggest similarity between these two teams is the fact that they don’t like to change too many personnel during the competition. So expect both teams to come out unchanged in the first Qualifier unless a late injury hits a camp.
Chennai Super Kings XII: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube (IP), Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c and wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana (IP)
Gujarat Titans XII: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Vijay Shankar (IP), Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Dasun Shanaka, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal (IP)
