"Emotion is with MS Dhoni, but Gujarat Titans will win" - Kaif, Jaffer and Akram share their IPL 2023 Final predictions
Former international cricketers Mohammad Kaif, Wasim Jaffer and Wasim Akram have predicted who will win the IPL 2023 Final. The big game will take place tonight, where defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) will square off against four-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Before the IPL 2023 Final, Mohammad Kaif, Wasim Jaffer and Wasim Akram appeared on Sportskeeda's show 'Match Ki Baat: Weekend Special'. In the final segment of the show, all three cricket experts were asked to predict the winner of tonight's game.
Former IPL champion Mohammad Kaif felt that many fans would support MS Dhoni, but Hardik Pandya's men will take the trophy home.
"Emotion is with MS Dhoni, but Gujarat Titans will win. The entire India, entire world's emotion is with Dhoni, but I think GT will win," Kaif said.
Former Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram also agreed that Gujarat Titans have a complete team on paper, but he argued that CSK have more experience of playing in IPL Finals, with the upcoming one being their 10th. Thus, Akram went with CSK.
"Gujarat is a complete team. They will have the home support, with 120,000 people there, but these guys (CSK) have been there 10 times in the final. Personally, I'll go with CSK," Wasim Akram said.
"I think they have got more bases covered" - Wasim Jaffer predicts who will win IPL 2023 Final
Like Mohammad Kaif, former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer also picked the Gujarat Titans as the favorites to win. Jaffer pointed out that Chennai Super Kings rely a lot on their openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway. He opined that if GT dismiss them early, they will have the upper hand in this contest.
"Gujarat. I think they have got more bases covered. For CSK, their opening slot is quite important. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway have been their top run-scorers. If Gujarat can dismiss them cheaply, CSK might be in trouble," Jaffer said.
The IPL 2023 Final will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium, with the first ball set to be bowled at 7:30 pm IST. It will be interesting to see if GT can win their second consecutive title.