Big image: Dhoni vs Hardik, another time

IPL 2023 has come full circle. The season began with Hardik Pandya's Gujarat Titans taking up MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad. In the ultimate on Sunday, the 2 groups will as soon as once more be face-to-face on the identical venue.

Moreover, CSK have misplaced all three video games they've performed in Ahmedabad to this point. This is the one venue within the IPL the place they've performed at the least three video games and are but to register a win. Titans, in the meantime, have six wins in 9 outings right here.

Having mentioned that, CSK shall be seeking to embellish their already fabulous document; they're the second-most profitable staff within the event's historical past. One extra trophy and they're going to draw degree with Mumbai Indians with 5. On the opposite aspect, Titans shall be eager to ascertain their dominance. They shocked everybody by rising as champions of their debut season. They shall be centered on making it two in two.

Apart from this being a battle between two sides constructed across the identical philosophy - of retaining issues easy, backing their gamers, and making a relaxed staff atmosphere - there may be the sub-plot of Hardik, the protégé, seeking to trump Dhoni, the mentor.

Sunday's sport shall be Dhoni's eleventh IPL remaining (his tenth with CSK); no participant has featured in additional. Hardik has been part of 5 earlier than 2023; he has by no means completed on the dropping aspect. Hardik has all the time mentioned he has learnt so much, not nearly cricket but in addition life, from Dhoni. Sunday night shall be a check of all that he has learnt through the years.

Form information

Gujarat Titans WLWWL (final 5 matches, most up-to-date first)Chennai Super Kings WWLWW

Team news: No harm issues

Coming into Qualifier 2 in opposition to Mumbai Indians, Hardik had not bowled within the earlier 4 matches. With him having rolled his arm over in opposition to Mumbai, there are not any identified harm issues in both camp.

Impact Player technique: Sticking to the template

CSK are more likely to depend on Matheesha Pathirana, as soon as once more, on the demise•Associated Press

Both groups are anticipated to be unchanged. One of Shubman Gill and Josh Little shall be Titans' Impact Player, relying on whether or not they're bowling first or batting. For CSK, Shivam Dube and Matheesha Pathirana are more likely to be in comparable roles.

Gujarat Titans (possible XII): 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Sai Sudharsan, 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 Vijay Shankar, 6 David Miller, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Rahul Tewatia, 9 Noor Ahmed, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Mohammed Shami, 12 Josh Little

Chennai Super Kings (possible XII): 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Shivam Dube, 4 Ajinkya Rahane, 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Ambati Rayudu, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Tushar Deshpande, 11 Maheesh Theekshana, 12 Matheesha Pathirana

Stats that matter: Shami vs CSK openers

• Mohammed Shami has a beneficial match-up in opposition to Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad. He has dismissed Conway three times in three innings, with the batter managing simply 5 runs throughout 12 balls. Gaikwad has by no means fallen to Shami however has scored at a strike rate of just 69.69 (46 off 66 balls) in opposition to him. Moreover, Shami has an incredible document in Ahmedabad this season: 17 wickets in eight games at an financial system of 6.77.
• Rashid Khan's T20 numbers in opposition to Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ambati Rayudu usually are not that spectacular. Gaikwad has struck at 147.36 (84 off 57) in opposition to him, albeit whereas falling to him twice in six encounters. While Rayudu's strike fee is far decrease (124.65), Rashid has managed to dismiss him only once in 73 deliveries.
• Titans can counter Rayudu with Mohit Sharma. The seamer has dismissed him six times in 44 balls for simply 54 runs. Dhoni, in the meantime, has scored 48 off 24 balls in opposition to Mohit for 2 dismissals.
• Ravindra Jadeja bowled David Miller for 4 in Qualifier 1 however total, Miller has a superb document in opposition to him: 121 runs at a strike rate of 168.05 for 2 dismissals. Jadeja has never dismissed Gill both in T20 cricket; the batter has scored 68 off 48 in opposition to him at a strike fee of 141.66.
• Maheesh Theekshana has been extra penetrative in away video games this IPL. In Chennai, he has picked up simply three wickets in seven games. At away venues, he has eight wickets from five outings.
• Gill wants 123 runs to interrupt Virat Kohli's record of most runs in an IPL season.
• Shami (28), Rashid (27) and Mohit (24) are the top three wicket-takers this IPL. Shami, actually, is 5 wickets away from breaking Dwanye Bravo and Harshal Patel's document of most wickets in a single season.

Shubman Gill is chasing down Virat Kohli's document for probably the most runs in an IPL season•Associated Press

Pitch and circumstances: Win the toss and bat?

The climate is anticipated to be cloudy however there isn't any severe rain menace.

The huge query

Will Gujarat Titans win their second successive IPL title?

1.9K votes

Yes, they've dwelling benefit as effectively

Quotes

"We are realistic about how difficult it is to get to this stage. That's why we are proud of our record of being consistent over a period of time. We have been able to put performances together under pressure when we have been in form or out of form or when we have got new players. The greatest challenge of this competition is when you get a new team that's going really well and you have got to disband and you can only keep four players. The fact that we have been able to stay consistent with those rules in place is something we look back very proudly on."CSK head coach Stephen Fleming

Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo