28 May,2023 11:42 PM IST | Ahmedabad | mid-day online correspondent
GT captain Hardik Pandya (L), CSK captain MS Dhoni (R) (Pic: AFP/PTI)
It's an important day for all cricket fans as the 16th edition of one of the most popular T20 cricket tournaments, Indian Premier League, has reached its culmination. The defending champions Gujarat Titans will face four-time champions Chennai Super Kings in the IPL final.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni wouldn't mind a 'Farewell to Remember' but a young Shubman Gill, oozing grace, would do everything under his control to prevent Chennai Super Kings from beating Gujarat Titans to its fifth IPL title, here on Sunday.
On Sunday, at the 132,000 seater Narendra Modi Stadium, the soon-to-be 42 Dhoni will have one last assignment in his favourite Canary Yellow jersey - to stop Indian cricket's megastar-in-waiting and do a 'High Five'.
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After 73 games, the two of the most consistent teams are pitted against each other in the summit clash.
No team has emulated the structural and team building ethos of Chennai Super Kings as minutely as Gujarat Titans, another team, where cricketing decisions are based on sound logic, consistency and no interference from overbearing owners.
There is a skipper in Pandya, who believes that there is only one way to lead the team. It's called 'The Mahi Way'.
Also Read: GT vs CSK, IPL Final: Hardik Pandya psyched up in high-octane duel against 'idol' at Motera
Mohammed Shami, Rashid Khan and Mohit Sharma have executed plans more often than not and thus it hasn't really affected the Titans that second highest run-scorer after Gill's 851 runs is skipper Hardik Pandya (325), who is more than 500 runs behind.
Dhoni would try to seize this opportunity. If they can get Gill out early, none of the other batters have shown wherewithal to fight hard and bowlers would need a decent total on board.
Under Dhoni, if players like Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube have found their groove this season, young bowlers such as Sri Lanka's Matheesha Pathirana and India's uncapped Tushar Deshpande have also been able to find their feet at the IPL stage.
In CSK's batting line-up, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube have time and again provided CSK with fine batting performances.
There are no clear favourites and it could be one of the finest finals in history of IPL.
Wicketkeeper: Devon Conway (vc)
Batters: Shubman Gill (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, B. Sai Sudharsan
All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya
Bowlers: Mohammad Shami, Rashid Khan, Deepak Chahar, Matheesha Pathirana
Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, B. Sai Sudharsan, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Shami, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Shivam Dube, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, MS Dhoni (c) (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana
Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, R. Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Dasun Shanaka, Odean Smith, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Joshua Little and Mohit Sharma.
Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c&wk), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Sisanda Magala, Shivam Dube, Dwaine Pretorius, Ajay Mandal, Nishant Sindhu, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Simarjeet Singh, Matheesha Pathirana, Mahesh Theekshana, Bhagath Verma, Prashant Solanki, Shaikh Rasheed, Tushar Deshpande
Catch the live updates of the match below.
11:00 PM
The match has been called off. The IPL final between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans will now take place tomorrow.
10:45 PM
Umpires Nitin Menon and Rob Tucker have stated that if the rain doesn't stop by 11:00 PM, unfortunately, we'll have to return for the game tomorrow.
10:10 PM
The rain has intensified and puddles of water have formed on the field. If the condition doesn't improve soon, the game might get postponed to the reserve day.
9:25 PM
It has started to drizzle again in Ahmedabad. The players have returned to the dugout. The match is expected to be delayed further.
9:15 PM
The rain has stopped. If it doesn't start raining again, the match is expected to start in a short while.
8:45 PM
It is still raining in Ahmedabad.
Current scenario: The match can start as late as 9:35 PM without any reduction in overs. A five-over match can start as late as 12:06 AM. There is a reserve day (29th May) for the final match in case the weather does not improve.
7:30 PM
The toss for the final match has been delayed due to heavy rain in Ahmedabad.
