GT vs CSK Match Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2024 match?
The Mumbai Indians (MI) are gone. The Punjab Kings (PBKS) are gone. The Gujarat Titans (GT) will be gone if they lose to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, May 10.
For such a successful franchise, that reached the final of the last two seasons, the Titans have been hugely underwhelming in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). They started in okayish fashion, but come into this contest having lost four of their last five matches.
Even if GT win their three remaining encounters, they will only manage 14 points, and their terrible run rate suggests that they won't make the top four anyway. But they have to try, and spoiling CSK's party seems like an added incentive.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and company are currently placed fourth in the standings, with six wins from 11 matches. The Super Kings have been ravaged by injuries this year, and their indifferent home form hasn't helped matters. But they've found a way to scrape a few wins together and could leapfrog the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) with two points on Friday.
Chennai did defeat Gujarat in the reverse fixture earlier this season and have notched up wins in their last three matches against them. Two of them, of course, were the playoff clashes from IPL 2023 which gave the Men in Yellow their fifth title.
Can GT lift themselves off the bottom of the table with a win? Or will CSK eliminate them from the competition?
IPL 2024, GT vs CSK Win Probability: Gaikwad and Co. start as favorites
CSK have serious issues in both departments. Their batting approach has been insipid, both in the powerplay and in the middle overs, with key players like Ajinkya Rahane struggling for form. The lineup has been overly reliant on Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube, who has bagged golden ducks in his last two matches.
Meanwhile, Matheesha Pathirana, Mustafizur Rahman, and Deepak Chahar won't play any further part in the tournament, leaving Gaikwad without his premier pace resources. Death bowling and powerplay bowling have now become major concerns despite the additions of Richard Gleeson and Mitchell Santner.
However, it's arguable that GT are in an even worse position. Shubman Gill, the cornerstone of the batting unit, hasn't produced any returns in the last few matches. Rashid Khan, who is usually economical, has been taken for runs often. Irrespective of that, he doesn't have a great record against CSK.
Gaikwad hasn't been able to win tosses in IPL 2024, and the chasing team will have a massive advantage in Ahmedabad. If GT manage to bat second, they could exploit the visitors' bowling fragilities and cause a major upset.
Taking the toss out of the equation, though, the Super Kings will start as the favorites. This is a crucial game for them, and they can be expected to be at their absolute best.
Prediction: CSK to win Match 59 of IPL 2024.