Table-toppers Gujarat Titans (GT) take on ousted Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as MS Dhoni-led side won the toss and elected to bat first in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the Wankhede stadium on Sunday (May 15).
"We will bat first. It's very hot. The wickets have been used quite a bit so it will slow down. Hope it stays the same throughout or slows down in the second half of the game. Theekshana the way he has come in and contributed. Conway at the top order have been positives. We have a lot of changes. Robbie, Rayudu, Bravo, Theekshana are missing. Jaggi, Solanki, Santner, Matheesha are playing," CSK skipper Dhoni said after winning the toss.
"We would have batted first too. Same team for us," GT captain Hardik Pandya said before the match.
Meanwhile, GT have 18 points from 12 games and a win on Sunday will more or less secure them a top-2 finish, which means they will get an extra chance of making it to the final.
Lying at the second-last spot, defending champions CSK are out of the competition and will play for pride in their remaining two games. While GT ensured their play-offs berth after a comprehensive 62-run win over Lucknow Super Giants, CSK slumped to a five-wicket loss against Mumbai Indians.
Pitch report
"There is a 60m side boundary on one side. The pacers do get bounce but the spinners get turn because of this famous red soil here at the Wankhede. The pitch is dry and there is some grass to hold it together. If the spinners get it right they could be a challenge. Day games the spinners can have a say, possibly more than the pacers," Danny Morrison analyses the pitch.
Gujarat Titans' Playing XI:
Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya(c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Shami.
Chennai Super Kings' Playing XI:
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Mitchell Santner, Moeen Ali, N Jagadeesan, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni(w/c), Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, Matheesha Pathirana, Mukesh Choudhary.
