Gujarat Titans (GT) host Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 66th and final league match of IPL 2026 on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, starting at 7:30 PM IST. For your Dream11 team, Sai Sudharsan is the top captain pick. He is GT’s most prolific batter this season with 524 runs at an average of 49.72 and arrives on the back of an unbeaten 53 in his last outing despite taking an elbow blow, proving his fitness and match-winning ability heading into a game where GT target a top-two playoff finish.
Kagiso Rabada or Sanju Samson work well as vice-captain options, covering GT’s Purple Cap contender who took 3/25 against this same CSK attack in the reverse fixture and CSK’s most destructive batter who is the one player capable of putting GT’s pace attack under pressure in the powerplay at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
GT vs CSK Match Preview, IPL 2026
| Match Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Match | GT vs CSK, IPL 2026 Match 66 |
| Date | Thursday, May 21, 2026 |
| Time | 7:30 PM IST |
| Venue | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad (GT’s home fortress — unbeaten here in IPL 2026) |
| Broadcast | Star Sports Network, JioHotstar |
| GT Captain | Shubman Gill |
| CSK Captain | Ruturaj Gaikwad |
| GT Coach | Ashish Nehra |
| Key Absentees | Sai Sudharsan (GT — elbow blow vs KKR; returned to bat 53 not out in same game; fitness to be confirmed at toss); no confirmed absentees from CSK |
| GT Season Form | 2nd place — 8 wins, 5 losses in 13 matches; 16 points; already qualified for playoffs; pushing for top-two finish to secure Qualifier 1 spot; lost to KKR by 29 runs in their last game |
| CSK Season Form | 6th place — 6 wins, 7 losses in 13 matches; 12 points; must win and rely on results elsewhere; captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has admitted the team must plan to come back stronger next year — outside chance of playoff survival remains |
GT vs CSK Predicted Playing XI & Key Players
Here are the predicted playing XI and key players to watch out for from both teams.
GT Predicted Playing XI
GT Predicted XI: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Nishant Sindhu, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj
Impact Player: Prasidh Krishna
CSK Predicted Playing XI
CSK Predicted XI: Sanju Samson (WK), Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary
Impact Player: MS Dhoni
GT vs CSK Weather & Pitch Reports
| Weather Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Daytime High | 43°C (109°F) — extreme May heat in Ahmedabad; one of the hottest match days of IPL 2026 |
| Match-Time Temp | 30–35°C (86–95°F) — temperatures remain warm even under lights; players will be tested physically in the field |
| Humidity | 30–40% — moderate to low humidity; conditions are dry compared to coastal IPL venues |
| Wind Speed | 10–14 km/h (light westerly breeze) |
| Rain Probability | Very Low (0%) — completely clear Ahmedabad skies; no precipitation forecast; a full 40-over contest is absolutely confirmed |
| Sky Condition | Clear; bright, warm evening under lights |
| Dew Factor | Moderate — despite relatively low humidity, evening dew has been a consistent factor at the Narendra Modi Stadium throughout IPL 2026; ball becomes slippery from the 14th to 15th over of the second innings; spinners lose grip; seamers benefit from extra skid; the chasing side gains a structural advantage in the back five overs |
| Match Interruption Risk | Very Low |
Pitch Report — Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
| Pitch Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Pitch Type | Batting-Friendly (true bounce, lightning-fast outfield, even pace and carry throughout; one of IPL 2026’s premium batting surfaces; allows stroke-makers to play through the line from ball one; both red-soil and black-soil pitches used at this venue — red soil produces higher scoring, black soil offers more spin assistance) |
| Avg 1st Innings Score (IPL 2026) | 178–202 runs across 6 matches at this venue this season; the earlier GT vs SRH clash here produced 236 batting first; the most recent game (GT vs KKR) saw KKR post 247 — the highest total in Eden Gardens IPL history was surpassed; par score at NMS in IPL 2026 is 190–210 runs |
| Boundary Length | Straight: 73–89m (among the longest straight boundaries of any IPL 2026 venue); Square: 61–67m (compact — rewards clean six-hitting to the shorter cow-corner and mid-wicket zones) |
| Toss Decision | Bowl first — captains at the Narendra Modi Stadium have consistently opted to bowl first throughout IPL 2026; dew from the 14th to 15th over of the second innings gives the chasing side a decisive back-five-over advantage; GT have won 4 of 6 home matches at NMS this season and their best performances have come when batting second |
| Pace Assist | Good with the new ball — Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj are GT’s pace spearheads and have been devastating with the new ball on this surface; Spencer Johnson and Anshul Kamboj will target the powerplay for CSK; in the GT vs KKR match, 6 powerplay wickets fell in the first innings showing the surface remains pace-active early |
| Spin Assist | Significant in the middle overs (7–16) on the right surface — Rashid Khan is the defining spinner at this venue with 15-plus wickets in IPL 2026; Noor Ahmad and Arshad Khan are key middle-overs threats; dew from the 14th to 15th over of the second innings reduces spin grip rapidly; first-innings spin is productive, second-innings spin in the death is harder to execute |
| Dew Effect | Decisive from the 14th to 15th over of the second innings — moderate humidity with a warm evening base creates consistent dew at the NMS; ball becomes slippery; spinners are either taken out of the attack or lose effectiveness in the final five overs; seamers skid through the surface with extra pace and are harder to pick; the back-five-over run-scoring environment significantly favours whichever team is batting second at this stage |
GT vs CSK Dream11 Team
GT vs CSK Head-to-Head
| Matches | GT Wins | CSK Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | 5 | 4 |
Suggested Reads:
Key Players to Watch in GT vs CSK
| Player | Team | Role | Key Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sai Sudharsan | GT | Batsman | IPL 2026’s standout consistent batter with 524 runs at avg 49.72; returned to score 53 not out after taking an elbow blow vs KKR. |
| Kagiso Rabada | GT | Bowler | GT’s pace spearhead and Purple Cap contender with 21 wickets at avg 20.04; took 3/25 against this exact CSK attack in the reverse fixture at Chepauk. |
| Anshul Kamboj | CSK | Bowler | CSK’s leading wicket-taker in IPL 2026 with 19 wickets; the new-ball threat who can reverse the game early if he takes wickets in the powerplay at Ahmedabad. |
| Rashid Khan | GT | Bowler | GT’s most dangerous spinner with 15-plus wickets this season; the NMS surface in the middle overs is where Rashid does his best work — his googlies and leg-spin are hardest to read under lights. |
| Sanju Samson | CSK | Wicketkeeper-Batter | CSK’s most destructive opener with 430-plus runs this season at SR 169-plus; the one CSK batter who can impose himself on GT’s pace attack in the powerplay at NMS. |
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