Four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will look to make a statement against the reigning champions Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 opener on Friday at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Though Ben Stokes has come into MS Dhoni‘s CSK side to aid their already strong batting line-up, questions remain about the pace bowling attack, especially with the Englishman being unavailable to bowl in the initial phase of the 2023 season. While Stokes is likely to start the IPL 2023 as a specialist batter, New Zealand’s Kyle Jamieson has been ruled out of the tournament with an injury.
CSK had a rough season last year, finishing ninth in the standings. The Super Kings had their worst league showing ever with 4 victories and 10 defeats in 14 matches. They roped in the swashbuckling Stokes for INR 16.25 crore in the 2023 auction and the England Test captain will be expected to play a big role in CSK’s season as they look to return to the top of the table and win their 5th title in 16 editions.
Stokes will provide some much-needed firepower to the middle-order which already includes Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali and skipper Dhoni. While Moeen Ali has been a consistent performer for CSK over the last couple of years, they will be banking on Jadeja’s all-round ability and Dhoni’s finishing prowess to clinch games for them.
The top-order has been settled for the last few years with Ruturaj Gaikwad opening alongside Devon Conway and Ambati Rayudu coming in at number 3. Gaikwad played an essential part in CSK’s last title triumph in 2021 when he racked up 635 runs in 16 matches. Rayudu has had a couple of lean seasons but his quality is undoubted and can single-handedly win games for his franchise.
The bowling attack is where CSK face a dilemma before the opening game. Jamieson has been ruled out for the season and his replacement Sisanda Magala is unavailable as he is on national duty for South Africa. Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana are also on national duty with Sri Lanka. With all three unavailable for the IPL 2023 opener, either Dwaine Pretorius or Mitchell Santner will assume the role of the overseas bowler in the starting line-up.
As for the domestic pace bowlers, Mukesh Choudhary is recovering from an injury which means the pace trio of Deepak Chahar, Simarjeet Singh and Tushar Deshpande could all start against Gujarat. The impact player will be one to keep an eye on with Shivam Dube and Rajvardhan Hangargekar two of the options that could be used.
CSK’s predicted XI vs GT for IPL 2023 opener:
Openers: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway.
Top and middle-order: Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni (c & wk).
All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Dwaine Pretorius.
Pacers: Deepak Chahar, Simarjeet Singh and Tushar Deshpande.
