"It was the crowd that suffered the most" - CSK captain MS Dhoni on rain playing spoilsport in IPL 2023 final

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni won the toss and decided to field first in the IPL 2023 final against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday, May 29.

The summit clash was originally slated to be played on Sunday. However, the match was washed out due to heavy rainfall in the city and had to be shifted to a reserve day (Monday).

Speaking at the toss, Dhoni emphasized that it was the crowd who turned up for the encounter that suffered the most due to rain. He also highlighted that it is quite difficult for the players when they have to sit in the dressing room, as their priority is to go out and play in the middle.

The CSK skipper remarked:

"Yesterday we were in the dressing room. As a cricketer, you always want to play. It was the crowd that suffered the most. Hopefully, we can entertain them. Pitch has been under cover for a long time, but throughout the tournament, the pitch has behaved well over here."

Dhoni also expressed his delight over the possibility of a full 20-over game on the reserve day, stating:

"Quite happy it will be a 20-over game we'll be playing. Serves justice to the tournament like this."

It is worth mentioning that both Gujarat and Chennai have not made any changes to their playing XI for the crucial fixture, going ahead with the same lineups that did the job for them in the playoffs.

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"My heart wanted to bat" - GT skipper Hardik Pandya on MS Dhoni winning the toss and electing to bowl

After losing the toss, Hardik Pandya mentioned that he would have also opted to field first had he won the toss. He, however, claimed that he doesn't mind batting first, as he personally was inclined to do the same.

Pandya said at the toss:

"Would've bowled first as well, but my heart wanted to bat so I don't mind losing the toss. We spoke that it is something out of our control (weather). Whichever team plays better will have their hands on the trophy. I like keeping the boys cool, and they repay me."

Here are the playing XIs for the IPL 2023 final:

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), B Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami.

Subs: Josh Little, Odean Smith, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, R Sai Kishore

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(wk/c), Deepak Chahar, Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana.

Subs: Shivam Dube, Mitch Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Akash Singh