GT vs CSK IPL Prediction 31 Mar 2023

The first match of the 16th season of the tournament is set to take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 31st, with defending champions Gujarat Titans taking on four-time winners Chennai Super Kings.

• Last season, CSK had a disappointing performance, finishing in second to last place in the points table.
• Meanwhile, the Titans made their tournament debut and emerged as champions under the leadership of Hardik Pandya.
• The upcoming match is expected to be an exciting one, with all eyes on the captains – MS Dhoni and Pandya.

GT vs CSK – IPL – Venue Details

Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Date: March 31st 2023

Time: 19:30 (local)

GT vs CSK – IPL – Team Previews

Gujarat Titans

Ahead of their opening match in IPL 2023, Gujarat Titans will be playing at home but with some key players missing. David Miller, Odean Smith and Alzarri Joseph are away on national duty, leaving skipper Hardik Pandya to field most of the team from last season.

The Titans have added some new players to their squad through the auction, but their strength lies in their star-studded team, well-serviced by Pandya’s mature captaincy, Shubman Gill’s brilliance, and Kane Williamson’s class. One major issue for the Titans last season was the absence of a reliable anchor, which they addressed by bringing in Williamson.

As a resource-maximizing option, they could bring in Abhinav Manohar as an impact player in place of one of the dismissed batters who is not athletic on the field. This would allow them to have seven bowling options, including Pandya and Tewatia, when they are defending a total.

Chennai Super Kings

CSK is looking for a confident start to erase memories of their disappointing previous season. The team has added some firepower to its squad, including Ben Stokes and Ajinkya Rahane at the auction, while also bringing in young talents like Shaik Rasheed and Nishant Sindhu.

Stokes’ inclusion gives the side a cutting edge, and he will be eager to make an impact in the competition. Batting coach Miachel Hussey confirmed that Stokes will initially only play as a batter as he is still recovering from a knee injury. Stokes could also be an ideal replacement for MS Dhoni should the latter decide to retire.

Having a fit and well Ravindra Jadeja will also be a massive advantage for CSK this season, and with the captaincy debacle of last IPL season behind him, the all-rounder will be keen to demonstrate his prowess in all three departments of the game.

GT vs CSK – IPL – Probable Starting XI’s

Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), S Gill, K Williamson, H Pandya (Cap), Abhinav Manohar, Matt Wade, Rahul Tewatia, Shivam Mavi, Rashid Khan, Mohd Shami, Josh Little.

Chennai Super Kings: D Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Ben Stokes, Ravi Jadeja, MS Dhoni (Cap and wk), Dwaine Pretorius, Deepak Chahar, R Hangargekar, Tushar Deshpande

GT vs CSK – IPL – Pitch Report and Toss Prediction

The stadium has hosted 10 T20 matches so far, where the average 1st innings total has been 160 runs. However, the pitch tends to be slow at the start of the match, making it challenging for the batsmen to score runs. The average 2nd innings total at this venue is 137 runs, indicating the difficulty in chasing down a target. Teams batting first have had a better record on this ground, winning 6 out of the 10 T20 matches played here.

GT vs CSK – IPL – Win Prediction

Gujarat Titans had a stellar campaign last season but Chennai would be a rejuvenated team under their skipper MS Dhoni. It promises to be close encounter but the experience of the CSK side might be pull them through, so that is where we would put IPL betting money for the opening fixture.