Match time: 18.30 GST | Venue: Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot
Every Chennai Super Kings fan would have prayed for this day to never happen – a day when their heroes would go up against each other in unfamiliar territory, wearing an unfamiliar shade.
A glance at the team-sheets tomorrow will throw up names such as MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin. Fans would be forgiven for thinking they had stepped into a time warp!
On paper this might be a contest between IPL’s two newest franchises, but in essence it is the first face-off of two units of the disbanded Chennai IPL franchise.
On one side is MS Dhoni, one of the world’s most successful captains in this format, while on the other side is his protégé, a man who has often been the reason why he has been able to string together so many success stories over the years – Suresh Raina. Going by the old Indian adage, it is guru versus shishya or teacher versus disciple.
Both teams couldn’t have started the tournament on a better note. While Pune convincingly won the Maharashtra derby, humbling the defending champions Mumbai in their own backyard, Gujarat too showed their mettle by ensuring a well deserved win against Kings XI Punjab.
The stakes are higher now as both sides will know what’s up the other’s sleeve. Weaknesses and strengths, everything is out in the open. Will dressing room and practice session secrets of yesteryear be put to use? Thursday will be a tell-all day.
KEY PLAYERS
Ashwin holds the key
In a relatively low pressure game against Mumbai, MS Dhoni decided to hold back on Ravichandran Ashwin and instead helped his namesake find his feet in the IPL. But now that M. Ashwin knows a thing or two about bowling in an IPL game, the focus will shift back to the four overs of off-spin slated to be bowled by Ravi. On a flat batting deck at Rajkot, and against players who like to use their feet, India’s leading spinner will have a huge role to play.
Jadeja will be in his den
Ravindra Jadeja has been one of the biggest stars of the tournament, right from the time when he burst on to the scene as a part of Shane Warne’s Rajasthan Royals. But this contest will be like no other – the Indian all-rounder will be playing his first IPL game in front of his home crowd, in the same stadium where he’s taken tons of wickets and scored hundreds of runs. There’ll be pressure on him no doubt, but his knowledge of local conditions will be immensely useful to his captain.
PREDICTED PLAYING XIs
Gujarat Lions: Aaron Finch, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina (C), Dinesh Karthik (W), Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan, Dwayne Bravo, James Faulkner, Praveen Kumar, Pradeep Sangwan, Sarabjit Ladda
Rising Pune Supergiants: Ajinkya Rahane, Faf du Plessis, Kevin Pietersen, Steve Smith, MS Dhoni (C/W), Rajat Bhatia, Mitchell Marsh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Murugan Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, RP Singh
PITCH AND CONDITIONS
Thursday will be extremely hot in Rajkot with the temperatures expected to hit the roof at 40-degrees Celsius.
The pitch is expected to be a high-scoring one, with plenty of runs on offer. However, considering that it is the end of the Indian domestic season, one can’t negate the possibility of there being some kind of turn in the second innings.
STRAIGHT FROM TWITTER
Amazing support from our fans here in Rajkot!! pic.twitter.com/z9uu0lmQYO
— Aaron Finch (@AaronFinch5) April 13, 2016
