CSK v GT: IPL MATCH 29 PREVIEW

The defending champions Chennai Super Kings take on the table toppers Gujarat Titans in match no 29 at the MCA Stadium in Pune.

CSK have finally managed to break the shackles and registered their 2 points on the table by defeating the RCB in their last game. CSK especially the duo of Uthappa and Dube put up an incredible fightback after losing 2 early wickets. CSK scored 156 runs in their last 10 overs which is the 2nd highest record. The men in yellow had never lost their 1st 2 games but this season they lost 4 in a row under the captaincy of Ravindra Jadeja who became the 2nd captain to lose 1st 4 games after Aaron Finch. If Ruturaj finds his touch bag and CSK continue to pick wkts in Powerplay things might well change for them. In the 1st 4 games they had picked just 1 wkt in the PP, but in the last game they picked 3. Majority of the credit goes to the young mystery spinner from SL Mahesh Theekshana.

Declared as one of the worst teams after auctions, GT have silenced every critic by being the table toppers. Captain Hardik Pandya has led from the front in both the departments. Tewatia has done his thing in 2 games and the trio of Shami, Lockie and Ferguson continue to pick up wkts. Just like Ayush Badoni for Lucknow and Jitesh Sharma for Punjab, GT have unearthed a gem in Abhinav Manohar. GT have one major chink in their armour and that is the top 3 and only Shubhman Gill has scored some runs. Its the right time to rope Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the 11 in place of Matthew Wade who is a wk batter from Afganistan. He is prolific in the T20 format having scored over 1600 runs at a strike rate of 151.8. He has made an immediate impact in leagues around the world by scoring good knocks on his debut in the BPL and the LPL

Probable XI

Chennai Super Kings

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Dwayne Bravo, Chris Jordan, Mahesh Theekshana, Mukesh Chaudhary

Gujarat Titans

Shubhman Gill, Matthew Wade/Rahmanullah Gurbaz(wk), Sai Sudarshan, David Miller, Hardik Pandya (c), Rahul Tewatia, Abhinav Manohar, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Daya

Venue

MCA Stadium, Pune

-Average 1st innings total : 170.5
- Average 1st innings total in 2022: 178.2
-Average 1st innings winning total: 188.3

-Highest total: 211/4 - CSK vs DC
-Lowest total: 73 - PBKS vs RPSG
-Teams batting 1st: Have won 20 matches
-Teams batting 2nd: Have won 23 matches

CSK: Played 8, Won -6, Lost -2
GT: Played - 1, Won -1, Lost 0

Match Ups

Miller v Jadeja: 87/1 at 170 sr
Uthappa v Rashid: 64/1 at 156 sr
Rayudu v Rashid: 61/0 at 113 sr
Moeen v Rashid: 36/3 at 138 sr
Moeen v Tewatia: 3/2 at 75 sr
Rayudu v Shami: 32/2 at 145 sr
Miller v Bravo: 34/2 at 145 sr
Uthappa v Shami: 51/1 at 145 sr
Hardik v Bravo: 55/1 at 148 sr

Stats & Trivia

-Gujarat Titans have taken 12 wickets in Powerplay this season
-Shubhman Gill has 5 50s in his last 10 innings
-Rashid Khan has never ended an IPL season with an economy in excess of 7
-Rashid Khan has the longest current streak of wicket-taking innings (15)
-CSK had never lost their 1st 2 opening games, this year they have lost 4

Form Update
(last 5 innings)

Key Players & Fanatsy Picks

Captain:

Hardik Pandya: India's best all rounder had an outing to forget last year. Due to Injuries, Hardik has not been bowling and subsequently lost his place in the national side for these 2 reasons. This IPL is a great opportunity for him to win the trust back of the selectors and make a strong statement ahead of the t20 wc. In 2019 and 2020, Hardik scored the most runs in the death overs. He smashed 463 runs at a SR of 221 with 39 sixes. He has started amazingly well this season both with the bat and the ball. He is the 3rd highest scorer of the season with 228 runs and has been bowling 3-4 overs every game.

Shubhman Gill: Scored back to back scores of 84, 96 and has 5 half centuries in his last 10 innings with 439 runs.

Shivam Dube: He has been a revelation this year and is the best CSK batter this season with 207 runs and a whooping SR of 176. He has scores of 49, 54 and 95* against RCB in the last game where he displayed an amazing exhibition of six hitting.

Budget picks
(Fantasy rating - 8/8.5 points)

David Miller is one of the cleanest strikers of the cricket ball. He always chips in with a crucial 30-40 given the position he bats. He has alreadt played 2 crucial knocks this season.

Wild Card pick:

Rahmanullah Gurbaz: Mathhew Wade has struggled to put bat to the ball, in this case it could open an opportunity for the hard hitting wk batter from Afghanistan

Prediction: CSK will win the match and Ruturaj Gaikwad will play a significant role.

Fantasy XI