The stage is set for two best teams of the group stage – Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings to lock horns once again but this time with the IPL 2023 trophy on the line. Hardik Pandya and Mahendra Singh Dhoni met each other in the first match of the season, then the two crossed paths once again in Qualifier 2 and now it is going to be a battle of supremacy at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday. Gujarat Titans will have the home advantage but considering Dhoni’s massive fandom it won’t be shocking if the Narendra Modi Stadium witness a sea of yellow on Sunday.
Here are the key battles to look forward to in the IPL 2023 final between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans.
Shubman Gill vs Deepak Chahar
The Gujarat Titans opener is in red-hot form with three centuries in the last four IPL matches and the onus will be once again on him in the final to set the stage on the fire. However, he will face a tough challenge in Chennai Super Kings who are the only which managed to stop him before a century in the last four innings. He scored 42 runs in the Qualifier 2 and it was Deepak Chahar who got the better of him. The swing specialists will have a tough job getting the better of Gill with the new ball early in the final to give CSK a big advantage.
Devon Conway vs Mohammad Shami
The New Zealand batter has been in incredible form this season and has scored consistently well for CSK but the only team against whom he struggled a bit are the defending champions. The southpaw was dismissed for 1 in the first match of the season, while he looked a bit rusty during his 40-run knock in Qualifier 1 versus Gujarat Titans. Interestingly, he was dismissed by Mohammad Shami on both occasions. The premier GT pacer is currently leading the race in Purple Cap and the onus will be once again on him to provide his team with early breakthroughs in the summit clash.
Shivam Dube vs Rashid Khan
Shivam Dube has improved a lot after joining Chennai Super Kings and turned into a big power-hitter for the franchise. The southpaw has performed well for the four-time IPL champions this season and displayed his six-hitting abilities in every other match. He has hit a total of 33 sixes thus far this season and he will look to add a few more in the final. But he is going to face a tough challenge in world’s best spinner Rashid Khan who continues to spin his web around the batters in this tournament. The Afghan all-rounder has claimed 27 wickets this season and has been a force to reckon with in the middle-overs.
Hardik Pandya vs MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni will face his own disciple Hardik Pandya in the summit clash. Dhoni is arguably the best captain in Indian cricket history while Pandya has been touted to take charge of the Men in Blue in the coming years for the white-ball formats. Pandya has impressed many with his captaincy abilities since he became the Gujrat Titans skipper last season. His calm and composed demeanour is often gets compared to Dhoni’s who built a great legacy as a captain both for India and CSK. The two players have faced each other twice this season, Hardik won the first battle, while Dhoni hit back in the Qualifier and now it will be time for them to clash in the battle of supremacy.
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