IPL 2023: GT vs CSK, Today Match Prediction: The much-awaited 16th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) will finally get underway on March 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Defending champions Gujarat Titans and four-time champions Chennai Super Kings will be facing each other in the opening game. MS Dhoni will make a comeback and will lead CSK while Hardik Pandya will be keen on repeating his last year's heroics.
However, both sides are suffering from unavailability of a few players. David Miller of the Titans is still in South Africa and will only arrive on April 2 after playing two ODIs against Netherlands. On the other hand, CSK will miss two Sri Lankan players, Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana who are in New Zealand for the ongoing limited-overs series. Both teams will be looking to start the season on a high especially after contrasting performances last time around.
Match Details
Match: IPL 2023, Match 1
Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Broadcast and Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and JioCinema
Probable Playing XIs
Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha/KS Bharat (WK), Shubman Gill, Kane Williamson, Hardik Pandya (C), Matthew Wade, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph/Odean Smith, Mohammed Shami, R Sai Kishore
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C & WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwaine Pretorius, Shivam Dube, Deepak Chahar, Simarjeet Singh
Pitch and Weather Report
The surface at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will be very good for batting. The fourth Test between India and Australia was recently played at the venue and the batters enjoyed their time in the middle. Hence, this could turn out to be a high-scoring encounter to get the IPL up and running.
As for the weather, it is expected to be clear on Friday and the fans will get to witness full 40 overs of action. The temperature will hover around 24-25 Degrees during the match and there is no chance of rain at all.
Predictions
Best Batter of the Match: Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad is arguably the best batter of CSK. He will open the innings and also had a decent domestic season. In IPL 2022, he scored 368 runs in 14 matches and will be looking to do even better this time around.
Best Bowler of the Match: Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami is one of the top bowlers going around across all formats. His pace rattles the opposition batters often and can make the new ball talk. Yet again, the onus will be on Shami to get the Titans off to a brilliant start.
Who will win the Match: Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
