CSK vs GT Match Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2024 match?
When Ravindra Jadeja hit the winning runs for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) against the Gujarat Titans (GT), nobody knew whether MS Dhoni would be at the toss when the two teams faced off in the 2024 campaign.
Well, all has been revealed now. Dhoni has extended his career with the Super Kings by another season, with an eye on playing his final game with the franchise at Chepauk. However, as fate - in other words, the man himself - would have it, he won't be at the toss.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has been appointed CSK skipper, and the 27-year-old's captaincy tenure began with a comfortable win over the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at home. He will look to keep the team's impressive home form going against an outfit that has gone through its fair share of changes as well.
Standing opposite Gaikwad at the toss will be another fresh face in Shubman Gill, who oversaw a thrilling win over the Mumbai Indians (MI) in his first game at the helm of an IPL franchise. Both young skippers seemed to get the basics right, and their clash on Tuesday has every chance of blossoming into a long-standing rivalry.
The Titans enjoyed an excellent start to their head-to-head record against CSK as they made the most of the Super Kings' rough season in 2022 to notch up two wins. They also beat the Men in Yellow in the group stage of the 2023 campaign, but CSK had the last laugh with wins in Qualifier 1 and the all-important final.
The head-to-head record doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things, though, with both teams having undergone personnel changes on all fronts. All that matters is putting both feet forward and extending a winning record.
Can CSK notch up another home victory, the seventh in seven IPL 2024 games? Or will GT be the first team to win on the road?
IPL 2024, CSK vs GT: Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Shubman Gill, v1
Azmatullah Omarzai was one of the stars of GT's win over MI. He got the new ball to talk and prised out two wickets, along with his brief cameo. The Afghan all-rounder's powerplay prowess with the ball and spin-hitting ability could prove to be two of the Titans' biggest weapons at Chepauk.
Having introduced R Sai Kishore into the side, Gujarat are in an excellent position to exploit the conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. While the pitch is still decent and will only assist spinners to a decent extent later in the competition, partnering Rashid Khan with an accurate left-arm spinner is a massive factor in GT's favor.
That said, though, their batting still doesn't inspire enough confidence. They got away with a below-par score against MI and are heavily reliant on their skipper to bat through the innings.
GT have managed to produce the results so far, but the Super Kings are batting deeper and have more players in form right now. Moreover, the Men in Yellow are arguably the best team at home and should be able to get two points on Tuesday.
Prediction: CSK to win Match 7 of IPL 2024.