Dasun Shanaka will be replaced by Vijay Shankar, while Josh Little will take on the position of Impact Player
The defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) will face the four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the first qualifier of the IPL 2023 playoffs on Tuesday at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai. GT advanced to the playoffs after finishing first in the league after winning 10 of their 14 games. They will be attempting to reach their second consecutive final by defeating CSK at Chepauk. The squad captained by Hardik Pandya has been the finest in the competition so far and should have no issue maintaining their championship if they play to their full potential. During the league stage, GT defeated CSK, DC, PBKS, KKR, RR, MI, SRH, RCB twice, and LSG once.While they fell against KKR, RR, MI, and DC, they quickly recovered and underlined their title-winning qualities. GT stunned RCB in their last league game of the season in Bangalore, completing a spectacular run chase to maintain their winning streak.
At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, sensational Shubman Gill hit a second straight century 104*(52) to lead Gujarat Titans to a dramatic triumph and put Royal Challengers out of the competition.
Earlier in the same game, Kohli hit his second consecutive century to help Royal Challengers Bangalore reach 197/5, but it was not enough as GT knocked RCB out and helped Mumbai Indians qualify for the playoffs. Gill has scored 680 runs in fourteen innings for GT this season, including two century and four half-centuries. So far this season, Saha has scored 287 runs, while Vijay Shankar and David Miller have scored 287 and 255 runs, respectively. So far, Hardik Pandya has scored 289 runs.
This season, Sai Sudharsan has also contributed 223 runs in only six innings. Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, and Abhinav Manohar have also contributed significantly to the team's success.GT's bowlers have been outstanding this season. With 24 wickets at an economy of seven, Rashid Khan and Mohammed Shami are the highest wicket-takers in the IPL this season. Alzarri Joseph has seven wickets but has been replaced in the batting order by Noor Ahmed in the final rounds of the competition. So far, Ahmed has been outstanding, taking 13 wickets in 10 games at an economy rate of 7. Mohit Sharma has also taken 17 wickets in eleven games, but has been costly in the previous two games. Josh Little has also contributed crucial wickets for the squad.Vijay Shankar and Abhinav Manohar are set to replace Shanaka and Sai Sudharsan in the qualifier, as GT will field their strongest possible lineup. GT have won all three of their previous meetings with CSK and will try to make it four wins in a row at Chepauk. Impact Players for GT include Sai Sudharsan, Josh Little, Jayant Yadav, Yash Dayal, and Dasun Shanaka.