
The potential T20 captain for team India – Hardik Pandya will be leading his side Gujarat Titans as CSK heroes enter the soil of Ahmedabad for the season opener.
While Hardik and company will be aiming at defending the championship trophy, veteran player MS Dhoni will surely look for a comeback after a tough season for CSK last year.
CSK Squad: MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Moeen Ali, Subhranshu Senapati, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Maheesh Theekshana, Prashant Solanki, Deepak Chahar, Mukesh Choudhary, Simarjeet Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Matheesha Pathirana, Ben Stokes, Sisanda Magala, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Varma
CSK’s Injuries and availability:
Due to stress fractures in his back that required surgery, Jamieson was disqualified. Sisanda Magala from South Africa was added by CSK, who also addresses the death bowling issue that the club was unable to handle during the auction. Magala can also confidently drive for the fences lower in the pecking order.
Uncertainty surrounds Mukesh Choudhary, a left-arm pacer, and when he will be ready to play, among other omissions. He is presently receiving treatment for a back injury at the NCA in Bangalore. Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana will also miss the first three games of the season for CSK because they have national team commitments in New Zealand until April 8.
Possible XI and potential Impact Player: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni, Deepak Chahar, Sisanda Magala, Simarjeet Singh/Mukesh Choudhary, Maheesh Theekshana
GT Squad: Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Abhinav Manohar, Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar, Rashid Khan, Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Jayant Yadav, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal, Darshan Nalkande, Pradeep Sangwan, Shivam Mavi, Joshua Little, Kane Williamson, KS Bharat, Odean Smith, Mohit Sharma, Urvil Patel.
GT Injuries and availability:
Joshua Little might not return to action until April 28 if he is selected for either of Ireland’s two IPL matches. Up until April 2, David Miller will compete for South Africa.
Possbile XI- Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, R Sai Kishore, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Shivam Mavi, Mohammed Shami