IPL 2022: GT vs CSK Toss, Playing 11 Update, Pitch Report: GT elects to field, Hardik misses game

Pune, April 17: Gujarat Titans take on Ravindra Jadeja-led Chennai Super Kings in match number 29 of IPL 2022 on Sunday (April 17) at MCA Stadium, Pune. It was supposed to be a battle between two new captains, Hardik and Ravindra, but the former is missing the game tonight and Rashid Khan will be leading the side in the regular captain's absence.

Wriddhiman Saha and Alzzari Joseph have been handed their caps and they will be making their debut for Gujarat Titans.

Toss Update: Gujarat Titans' stand-in captain Rashid Khan has won the toss and has opted to field.

Playing XI:

Chennai Super Kings: Robin Uthappa, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja(c), MS Dhoni(w), Dwayne Bravo, Chris Jordan, Maheesh Theekshana, Mukesh Choudhary

Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan(c), Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Shami

Captains' Comments:

Rashid: We would like to bowl first. Bit of stiffness in the groin area for Hardik, so as a team we didn't want to take a chance. He will rest and hopefully be back for the next game. Super excited, it's kind of a dream. So I just want to learn as much as I can and give 100 per cent. Matthew Wade is out and Saha is in. It's just to balance it out as Hardik is absent.

Jadeja: We would have bowled first as well. Now we will look to put a good score on the board and put pressure on them. After the last game, we had a day off and back to basics with the training and stuff. Same team for us.

Nick Knight with the pitch report at Pune: Gujarat played DC on this pitch a couple of weeks ago, made 171 and won the game. Teams batting first have won thrice here. It's a used surface and there's a covering of grass. There's a bit of scarring on the surface. You need to hit the surface and let it work for you. The CSK bowlers need to pitch it up and get some swing and also need to take the pace off. The Gujarat Titans bowlers can hit the deck around the back of a length and extract some help from the grass on the wicket. If I were CSK I would at bat first and hope to get a big score and defend, but if I were GT I am going the complete opposite way... Bowl first and restrict."

Squads:

Chennai Super Kings: Ravindra Jadeja (captain), Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayadu, Robin Uthappa, Mitchell Santner, Chris Jordan, Adam Milne, Devon Conway, Shivam Dube, Dwaine Pretorius, Maheesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Tushar Deshpande, KM Asif, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Subranshu Senapati, K Bhagath Verma, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary.

Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya (captain), Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Gurkeerat Singh, B Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Matthew Wade, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Wriddhiman Saha, Alzarri Joseph, Darshan Nalkande, Dominic Drakes, Jayant Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, Pradeep Sangwan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Varun Aaron, Yash Dayal.

Preview:

Known for their all-round skills, both Jadeja and Pandya have served Indian cricket well and the duo will be engaged in a battle of tactical supremacy on Sunday with both teams looking to continue their momentum after wins in their previous matches.

While Jadeja was elevated to the captaincy role by CSK, Pandya was roped in as the leader of the Titans after Mumbai Indians didn't retain the gifted all-rounder as he struggled with his fitness. Pandya has given the newcomers a rollicking start with four wins in five games.

The Titans are headed into the match after bouncing back from their only loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad with a 37-run win over Rajasthan Royals on Thursday. Jadeja, on the other hand, has endured a tough initial phase with the team losing their first four matches before opening their account with a 23-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore.