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IPL: Preview Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is all set to begin on March 31, with defending champions Gujarat Titans taking on Chennai Super Kings in the tournament opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
With both sides boasting of strong line-ups, the match promises to be a thrilling encounter.
Gujarat Titans, led by the explosive all-rounder Hardik Pandya, will be looking to begin their title defense on a winning note.
One of the openers could be Australian wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade, the 35-year-old who has 179 runs to his name in 13 IPL matches.
Wade’s partner will be Shubman Gill who has set the stage on fire in international cricket recently.
With 1900 runs in 74 IPL matches, Gill will have his eyes set on the orange cap
The team has a strong middle-order consisting of some of the best batters in world cricket.
Kane Williamson, who has played 76 IPL matches and amassed 2101 runs, will be a vital cog in Gujarat’s side.
The 32-year-old’s performance in the season opener will be closely watched as he adapts to the new environment.
Another player who could have a breakout season for Gujarat Titans is Abhinav Manohar.
The 28-year-old scored 108 runs in eight matches in the previous edition of the IPL and could prove to be an important player if given consistent opportunities.
Skipper Hardik Pandya, who led Gujarat to their first IPL title in 2022, will once again be a key player for the team.
With 107 IPL matches under his belt, Pandya brings a wealth of experience to the side. The 29-year-old has scored 1963 runs and taken 50 wickets in the tournament so far.
All-rounder Rahul Tewatia, who played a key role in Gujarat’s title-winning campaign in 2022, will once again be expected to perform with both bat and ball. The 29-year-old has 738 runs and 32 wickets in 64 IPL matches.
Gujarat Titans’ bowling attack, led by ace spinner Rashid Khan, is arguably the team’s strongest aspect.
The 24-year-old Afghan has 112 wickets in 92 IPL matches and could be vital in dismissing the Chennai batters.
Sai Kishore, who was roped in for INR 3 crore at the 2022 IPL auctions, can be highly impactful with the ball and decent with the bat. The left-arm spinner has six wickets in five IPL matches so far.
Another player who could make a significant impact for Gujarat Titans is Alzarri Joseph.
The 25-year-old pacer has 13 wickets in 12 IPL matches and was acquired by Gujarat at the 2022 mega auctions.
Yash Dayal, who has 11 wickets in nine IPL matches, is yet another pacer who could bolster Gujarat’s pace attack.
The spearhead of Gujarat’s bowling attack, star Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, will once again be expected to deliver a fabulous performance in the season opener against CSK.
Shami has 99 wickets in 93 IPL matches and will be keen on helping Gujarat grab their first win of the tournament.
Chennai Super Kings, on the other hand, will be looking to start the tournament on a positive note after a disappointing campaign in 2022. The team boasts of a strong batting line-up consisting of the likes of Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, and Ambati Rayudu.
The team’s bowling attack, led by the experienced Dwayne Bravo, also looks formidable with the likes of Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, and Imran Tahir in the mix.
The last encounter between the two sides saw Gujarat Titans beat Chennai Super Kings by 7 wickets in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.
Squads
Chennai Super Kings
MS Dhoni (c), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Chowdhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Deepak Chahar, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sidhu, Sisanda Magala, Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Verma
Gujarat Titans
Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, R Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Kane Williamson, Odean Smith, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Josh Little, Mohit Sharma
The season opener between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings is expected to be a high-scoring affair with both teams possessing strong batting and bowling line-ups
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Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry star in RCB women’s comeback win against UP Warriorz in WPL 2024
RCB women overcame UP Warriorz by 23 runs to clinch their third win of the season. The home side outperformed Warriorz in all the facets of the game and emerged victorious. A collective team effort, particularly with the bat, helped RCB women to beat Warriorz for the second time in the season. They now have three wins in their five matches in the WPL 2024.
Alyssa Healy won the toss and opted to field first. Given how things have panned out in the league so far, it needed a great batting performance from RCB to challenge the chasing side. The home side did exactly that. They were full of intent which was lacking in the last few games. Right from the start, S Meghana and Smriti Mandhana smashed the bowlers.
It was the night of the RCB skipper. The Southpaw scored 80(50) in her stay. S Meghana perished after a valuable 28(21). Ellyse Perry batted well and registered her first fifty of the WPL 2024. She was aided well towards the end by Richa Ghosh whose 21(10) propelled RCB to a score of 198 on the board. It was the highest team total in the WPL 2024.
Alyssa Healy’s efforts go in vain
Chasing the daunting total, UP Warriorz were off to a flier. The opening duo of Healy and Kiran Navgire gave a fiery start to the visiting side. When the two were batting in the PP overs, it seemed like the Warriorz could pull off an insane chase. However, Sophie Devine brought RCB back into the game with crucial wickets. At Bengaluru, the home crowd was literally behind the RCB women.
It helped the home side to stay calm and do their job with ease. Sophie Molineux and Asha Sobhana were the pick of the bowlers, who claimed 2/29 each in their spell of four overs. While Healy scored a fifty and Deepti tried her best in the death overs, ten daunting targets could not be chased down. Despite the early hiccups, RCB managed to restrict UP Warriorz to a score of 175 and won by 23 runs.
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WATCH: Ellyse Perry in disbelief as her six breaks car’s window
Ellyse Perry smashed a six in the match against UP Warriorz in the WPL 2024. It was an interesting six as the ball travelled towards the boundary ropes and fell exactly on the window of the car. As a result, the glass of the window was broken. The car is set to be provided as a reward for the player of the tournament.
It was the over of Deepti Sharma towards the last few moments of RCB’s innings. Before Perry struck, the home side was in a great position in the match, thanks to a great start provided by Smriti Mandhana. The star batter scored 80 (50) and shined in front of the home crowd. Her form helped RCB to have a good momentum towards the death overs.
Watch the viral video here –
ELLYSE PERRY HAS BROKE THE GLASS OF THE CAR…!!! 🤯
– The reaction of Perry was priceless!! pic.twitter.com/zaxiQLLN1r
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 4, 2024
Perry, who was struggling till that point, opened up and smashed the bowlers for fun. She went hard against the spinners like Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Deepti Sharma who were asked to bowl at the death. The right-handed batter smashed back-to-back sixes in the over of Sharma. One of those travelled towards the mid-wicket region where the car was stationed. The video of her shot has gone viral on X.
RCB teammates laugh, Ellyse Perry in disbelief
As the ball fell on the car and damaged the window, the fans erupted. There was no end to the joy of the fans who started chanting “Perry.. Perry..” and lit the atmosphere of the stadium. However, Perry was in disbelief. As she saw the impact of the ball damaging the car’s window, the Australian batter could not believe her eyes and thought about what she had just done.
On the other hand, the RCB teammates of Perry were in awe of the shot. They looked at the replays and appreciated the shot of Perry. At the same time, players like Sophie Molineux and Sophie Devine had a laugh about the car’s window getting damaged. Ellyse scored a fifty and helped her team score 198 runs with her batting in front of the home crowd.
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Praveen Kumar addresses Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer’s negligence of taking part in Ranji Trophy
Praveen Kumar has given his opinion on the preferences of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer in recent times. The duo did not take part in the Ranji Trophy matches for their respective teams despite being fit. It did not go well with the Indian Cricket Board which landed the duo without a ventral contract which was announced a few days back.
Praveen Kumar has reacted to the issue recently. The former India pacer claimed that he has been of an opinion on the issue for a long time. Praveen felt that one should definitely earn money but not at the cost of neglecting to play for domestic and national teams. The right-arm pacer felt that players today are having a certain mentality which is not good.
The former pacer claimed that the players have a mindset that they can rest for a month before taking part in the IPL, thereby bypassing playing for their national team or the domestic teams. Praveen felt that the players could not resist letting go of money which they could earn by taking part in the IPL and other T20 leagues (For foreign players).
‘Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun’ – Praveen Kumar
“This thing is now firmly in the mind of players. Mai ek mahine pehle rest kar lunga, fir IPL khel lunga. Ye mentally hota hai, ki mai itne paise kaise chodun,” said Praveen in the interview. He claimed that youngsters these days are spoilt and are behind money. The former RCB pacer felt that it is not fair on the part of the young players to neglect the country over the IPL.
Kumar felt that a player needs to maintain a balance between playing for the IPL team and for the country. He felt that money is an important factor, but not at the cost of playing for the national team. “But this is not fair at all. A player needs to balance things. Money is important, but this (giving franchise cricket the priority) is wrong,” said the former Indian bowler in the interview.
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