Match 67 brings us a crucial encounter in the race for the top two with Gujarat Titans playing against bottom-of-the-table Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium on May 25th.
Here is our preview and predictions for the match.
The Gujarat Titans have already qualified for the playoffs but with two points separating the top 4, any team in the top 4 can grab the top two positions. Hence, its vital for GT to win this game to ensure a Top two finish. GT’s top order batters have been in a league of their own with Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill giving them brilliant starts while the dangerous Jos Buttler has been in super form too. However, their middle and lower order hasn’t been seriously tested and that showed in their last game against the Lucknow Super Giants.
In their last game against LSG, GT bowled first and conceded a mammoth 235/2 with Mitchell Marsh (117 off 64 balls) being the star of the show. Nicholas Pooran (56 not out off 27 balls) and Aiden Markram (36 off 24 balls) were the supporting cast. None of the GT bowlers were spared as they were thrashed to all parts of the ground.
In response, GT batters could only muster a total of 202/9. Even though Shubman Gill (35 off 20 balls) got going in the powerplay, Sai Sudharsan went back early. Jos Buttler scored a quickfire 33 off 18 balls but perished too. Sherfane Rutherford (38 off 22 balls) stitched a partnership with Shahrukh Khan but couldn’t lead his team to a win. None of the other GT batters except for Shahrukh Khan (57 off 29 balls) stayed at the pitch for a long duration with LSG bowlers making it difficult for them to score.
Will O’Rourke turned up with figures of 3/27 in his 4 overs with Ayush Badoni taking 2 wickets for 4 runs in his one over.
On the other hand, Chennai Super Kings continued to perform poorly in a dismal season losing to the Rajasthan Royals in their last game. Batting first, CSK ended up with a total of 187/8. The CSK opener Ayush Mhatre (43 off 20 balls) gave them a quick start but they lost 2-3 wickets in quick succession that slowed them down. Dewald Brewis (42 off 25 balls) and Shivam Dube (39 off 32 balls) propelled them to a fighting total of 187. Akash Madhwal was the pick of the RR bowlers, ending up with 4/29 in his four overs.
In response, Yashasvi Jaiswal (36 off 19 balls) gave RR a good start. Youngster Vaibhav Suryavanshi (57 off 33 balls) and Sanju Samson (41 off 31 balls) ensured that RR kept the chase under control before a late blitz from Dhruv Jurel (31 not out off 12 balls) ensured a win with 17 balls to spare.
With GT having all to play for and CSK out of contention and languishing at the bottom of the table, GT certainly have the edge in this game. If they get to bat first, they could easily manage a total of 200+ which will be difficult for CSK to chase.
Fantasy XI: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Ayush Mhatre, Jos Buttler, Sherfane Rutherford, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c) (wk), Rashid Khan, Anshul Kamboj, Arshad Khan.
Winner’s Prediction: Gujarat Titans
Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
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