GT vs CSK 1st Qualifier Match Prediction

GT vs CSK Team Previews

Gujarat Titans

The Gujarat Titans have performed brilliantly so far, showing that their winning the title in their debut season was no fluke. The Titans were the first team to qualify for the playoffs as they finished comfortably at the top of the table, winning 10 of their 14 group-stage matches.

Shubhman Gill has been in sublime form this season and is the top run-scorer for the team so far. He has scored 680 runs so far, including 4 half-centuries and back-to-back centuries in his last 2 matches. He will once again open the batting with Wriddhiman Saha here.

The latter hasn’t been in the best of forms with the bat so far. The same can be said about David Miller and Hardik Pandya, both of whom have played a couple of good innings but have lacked consistency. Vijay Shankar has been a solid performer in the middle order, scoring 3 half-centuries in 9 innings.

GT's batting is clearly dependent on Gill but in the form that he is in, betting against him could be foolhardy.

The bowling has been one of the highlights of the Gujarat Titans’ campaign this season. Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan are the top two wicket-takers of the season and are in prime form at the moment. Mohit Sharma, while being a bit expensive, can pick up wickets at key moments.

We have seen Shami thrive when there is a bit of movement with the new ball but he can be expensive when the pitch offers nothing. In Chennai where there is unlikely to be much help, he could go for runs against Gaikwad and Conway.

Noor Ahmad has evolved nicely through this season and will play a vital role here. 

GT has shown a lot of flexibility and adapted to the conditions on offer. They have a complete squad with very few weaknesses and are willing to change as per the need of the hour.

Chennai Super Kings

A win against the Delhi Capitals in their last group stage fixture guaranteed the 2nd spot for the Chennai Super Kings, marking their record-extending 12th entry into the playoffs. As they play on home turf, CSK has a great chance of gaining direct entry to the Finals.

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway have been brilliant at the top of the order. They are the top 2 run-getters for the team this season and will be looking to give the team yet another good start. The Super Kings have a strong middle-order too, as Shivam Dube and Ajinkya Rahane are in good form.

The six-hitting ability of Shivam Dube is something that allows CSK to attack in the middle overs and propel its score above par. his battle against Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed could be pivotal.

Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja give the team a lot of depth in the batting, while MS Dhoni’s finishing skills are legendary. The bowlers have done a good job when it comes to picking up wickets, but they have been expensive on several occasions.

Tushar Deshpande is the leading wicket-taker for the team with 20 wickets but has given away runs at close to 10 runs per over. Similarly, Deepak Chahar has leaked runs. Ravindra Jadeja and Matheesha Pathirana have done a good job of tying up the batsmen and will play an important role here.

CSK's bowling attack is a bit weaker than it would have liked. Dhoni is aware of that and has so far managed to use his resources wisely. Under pressure, this bowling attack can crack. We think a spin-friendly surface where the bowlers have more margin for error will help CSK more than a flat batting surface.