Qualifier 1 Preview – Gujarat face Chennai challenge to feature in their second straight final

With the league stage of IPL 2023 done and dusted, table toppers Gujarat Titans will take on four-time champions Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier 1 at the Chepauk on Tuesday, May 23. While both teams are headed into the first knockout game of this year’s edition, the defending champions are slight favourites in the high-profile encounter.

Hardik Pandya’s team are chasing unprecedented back-to-back league titles but will have to see off MS Dhoni’s CSK, on the most consistent teams in the history of the competition in their upcoming fixture. Shubman Gill’s second consecutive IPL century sealed an emphatic victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore, sending a warning sign to the other three teams in the playoffs.

Coming to their upcoming opponents, Chennai Super dispatched Delhi Capitals without breaking a sweat to seal their spot in the top two of the points table. The four-time champions are used to playing in these types of pressure matches and will revel in playing against the reigning champions in front of their home crowd.

Pitch and conditions

The last league match at this venue saw the slower bowlers rule the roost as they extracted plenty of assistance from a sluggish surface in Chennai. Despite the nature of the surface, the team winning the toss would prefer to field first after winning the toss as dew might play a factor in the second half of the match.

Venue details: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

Last T20 match at the venue: CSK- 144/6 (20 overs) KKR- 147/4 (18.3 overs)

Here’s the Probable XI for GT vs CSK:

Gujarat Titans

Young Indian batting sensation Shubman Gill is firing on all cylinders at the moment and a prolific couple of matches have seen him climb up to the second place in the run-scoring charts this season. Meanwhile, the bowlers are also doing their bit with all eyes on Afghan superstar Rashid Khan for their upcoming clash on a slow surface in Chennai.

Chennai Super Kings

MS Dhoni has made the least changes to his playing eleven this season, and he has reaped the rewards of backing his players, especially the youngsters in the squad. Tushar Deshpande has been one of the finds of this season, with the pacer in contention of clinching the elusive Purple Cap.