Image Credit- BCCI
MS Dhoni and Hardik
Pandya were leading the Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings, respectively,
in a strange three-day rain-soaked IPL 2023 final. After Hardik returned to the
Mumbai Indians in what is possibly the largest player transaction in IPL history,
Shubman Gill assumed leadership of the Titans.
Before the IPL season began, Ruturaj Gaikwad was declared the new captain of
CSK. The way majority of Chennai responded when Dhoni gave Gaikwad the
captaincy was reflected in Gill’s attitude during the captains’ meeting. The
two least experienced Indian captains in the IPL, Gill and Gaikwad, will now
play each other on Tuesday at Chepauk.
With their
captaincy, Gill and Gaikwad have already made headlines. Spencer Johnson, the
Titans’ rookie, praised Gill’s leadership after the team narrowly defeated the
Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad on Sunday. He claimed that the captain had sat next
to him on the bus to assist ease his anxiety before the match. In his debut IPL
match as captain, Gaikwad dominated fielding changes; one such change, which
required moving extra-cover to sweeper cover, gave CSK their first wicket.
The match between
the Chennai boys and the Chennai Super Kings is another intriguing plotline in
this game. Up to five Tamil Nadu players—Sai Sudharsan, Sai Kishore, Vijay
Shankar, Shahrukh Khan, and Sandeep Warrier—are on the Titans roster. Kishore,
Vijay, and Sudharsan are the five players who will fit into the Titans’ XI or
XII (counting for the Impact Player). Vijay, Kishore, and Sudharsan have all
participated in CSK’s junior super league, or Junior Super Kings. Shahrukh also
worked as a ball boy for IPL matches in Chepauk in the past. On the other hand,
CSK’s starting lineup does not include a single local player.
At his pre-match
press conference, CSK coach Stephen Fleming was even asked if this would be a
“home game” for Titans. “A few of the players will be at home in
terms of conditions,” Fleming responded. “But yeah, it’s hard to say.”