Defending champions Gujarat Titans will look to challenge Chennai Super Kings in the final of IPL-16 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. If Captain Hardik Pandya's team Gujarat wins the final match, then it will make a special record. Gujarat will become the third team in the history of IPL to have won two titles in a row. Before Gujarat, Chennai had won back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011, while Mumbai had won back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020. At the same time, Dhoni's team will go on to win the fifth title. Speculations are rife that this will be Dhoni's final IPL season as a player and Chennai would be looking to give their skipper a memorable win. The match will start at 7.30 pm. The toss will happen half an hour before that i.e. at 7 pm. The match was earlier scheduled to be held on Sunday, but due to rain, no play could take place. In such a situation, the result of this match will come on the reserve day.
Stopping Gill is a headache for the bowlers
The early dismissal of Gujarat opener Shubman Gill, who is in strong form in the current season, is proving to be a headache for the bowlers. Gill, who has scored three centuries this season, got Gujarat a ticket to the final with a brilliant century innings of 129 runs in the last match. However, for Gill, shrewd skipper Dhoni's strategy will have to be avoided. Deepak Chahar's swing or Ravindra Jadeja's bowling on the wicket. Moeen Ali's ball going outside the off-stump or Mathisha Pathirana's ball falling on the straight leg, no one knows what will break the concentration of the technically-rich Gill.
If the match is not played due to rain, then Gujarat will become the winner.
If the final match is not held without a single ball being bowled due to rain or any other reason, then Gujarat Titans will emerge as the winners. According to the IPL rules, if a 20-20 over match is not held due to rain, then it will be made of five overs, but if there is no match of five overs, then one over will be held. Even if one over is not matched, then the team which will have more points in the points table will become the winner. In such a situation, Gujarat was on top with 20 points, while Chennai is in second place with 17 points.
Possible playing 11 of both the teams
Chennai Super Kings: Devon Conway, Rituraj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dubey, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mahesh Thikshana, Mathisha Pathirana.
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudarshan, Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, Josh Little.
(pc amarujala)
