IPL 2024: Chennai Super Kings Win Toss, Opt To Bowl First Against Gujarat Titans; Check Playing XIs

Ahmedabad: The Chennai Super Kings (CSK), battling a depleted bowling attack due to injuries and national commitments, will take on the floundering Gujarat Titans (GT) in a high-stakes IPL 2024 encounter tonight at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

CSK, currently occupying a precarious mid-table position with 12 points from 11 games, view this away fixture as a golden opportunity to solidify their playoff aspirations. A win would propel them to third place, pushing Sunrisers Hyderabad down the table on the basis of net run rate. However, their bowling attack appears fragile with key pacers Deepak Chahar and Matheesha Pathirana sidelined with injuries, and Mustafizur Rahman away on national duty. The onus falls heavily on the spin trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, and Moeen Ali, especially considering the historical challenges the Ahmedabad track poses for batsmen.

Despite the bowling concerns, CSK’s recent successful defence of a modest 167-run total against Punjab Kings (PBKS) injects a dose of optimism into the camp.

Historically, teams batting second have emerged victorious in 13 of the last 21 IPL matches played here, highlighting the advantage of chasing.

Gujarat Titans, on the other hand, find themselves languishing at the bottom of the points table with just four wins from 11 matches. Their morale has sunk after a string of poor results, with just one win in their last five outings. The absence of the injured Mohammed Shami and the burden of captaincy on the out-of-form Shubman Gill have compounded their woes.

Head-to-head, Gujarat and Chennai have displayed an even playing field, with both teams securing three victories each out of six matches.

Playing XIs

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, David Miller, Matthew Wade(w), Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Kartik Tyagi

GT Impact Subs: Abhinav Manohar, Sandeep Warrier, BR Sharath, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w), Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Simarjeet Singh

CSK Impact Subs: Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Aravelly Avanish, Sameer Rizvi, Mukesh Choudhary