The highly anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to kick off tonight i.e. Friday, March 31, with the defending champions, Gujarat Titans (GT) taking on the four-time winners, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad at 7:30 PM IST.
The current IPL champions will commence their new season at their home ground and get to play in front of their fans frequently, which they couldn’t get last year. With a team consisting of specialist T20 batters, the quality of the franchise’s batting department has been enhanced abundantly with the addition of Kane Williamson, who is arguably one of the best anchors in the competition. The team’s bowling unit is also equally better with the likes of Mohammed Shami, Rashid Khan and the skipper himself, Hardik Pandya. Pitting against his mentor, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, in the season opener could be a major task for Hardik but he will still put his best foot forward to claim the first victory of the season and start the title defence on a positive note.
On the other end, CSK, who are having a galore of quality all-rounders this season, will also look forward to bouncing back after a below-par season last edition. The four-time IPL winners are one of the contenders to clinch the trophy this year, considering their line-up. The Chennai-based franchise’s batting order features the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Convoy, Ben Stokes, MSD and Ravindra Jadeja. CSK are returning to Chepauk after a gap of three years and the Dhoni-led team is all set to receive major support when the team plays there during the 2023 season.
Head-to-Head:
GT lead the head-to-head competition between the two sides. Both teams played twice against each other in the previous season and the Gujarat franchise won both fixtures against CSK.
Where-to-watch:
TV: Star Sports Network
OTT: JioCinema