MS Dhoni, captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), was seen practicing hitting sixes in the nets before Qualifier 1 against the reigning champions, the Gujarat Titans (GT). The very important game will take place on Tuesday, May 23, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Under the smart direction of Dhoni, CSK had another great season. They won eight of their 14 games and came in second in the points table. Dhoni has done well in the few balls he has faced while batting at number 7 or 8. He has a strike rate of 190.74 and an average of 51.50.
MS Dhoni and his team have made the playoffs for the 12th time in 14 years, which is a record. But they will have their work cut out for them if they want to beat the Gujarat Titans and make it to the IPL 2023 final.
Last year, the Titans had the most points and cruised through the playoffs. In their first IPL season, they won Qualifier 1 and the final against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) to take home the title.
GT’s great play from a year ago has continued, led by the bubbly Hardik Pandya. This time, Shubman Gill has done well with the bat, and Rashid Khan and Mohammed Shami have done well with the ball.
On the other hand, MS Dhoni will try to add another feather to his cap by winning his fifth IPL title with Chennai and tying the Mumbai Indians’ mark for the most titles. Earlier in the season, when CSK played the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Chennai on April 12, the 41-year-old became the first-ever manager to lead a franchise in 200 matches.
“CSK playing at home is a big advantage”—Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh, a former off-spinner for India, thinks that the match between the Chennai Super Kings and the Gujarat Titans will be very close because both teams can do well on the big stage.
Chennai has been to the playoffs a record 12 times in their 14-year career, but GT has made it to the playoffs for the second season in a row.
Harbhajan Singh gave Star Sports a taste of the exciting match by saying:
“The game between CSK and GT will be tough because both teams know how to win big games. CSK has a big edge when they play at home because they know the conditions well. However, they haven’t always done well at home this year. So, this makes things interesting, but when CSK plays in the playoffs, it looks like a whole different team. I really can’t wait for this game.”
Harbhajan’s point that Chennai isn’t as dominant at home this season comes from the fact that they have only won four of their seven games at the Chepauk Stadium.
GT and CSK have only played each other once this season. On March 31, in Ahmedabad, the Titans beat the Super Kings by five wickets, which was a very clear win.
Also, it’s important to remember that the Super Kings have never won the IPL against Gujarat. They have lost all three games between their team and the other team.
The winner will go straight to the final, while the loser will have to play the winner of the match between the Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants to make it to the final.
