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Chennai Super Kings (CSK) take on Gujarat Titans (GT) will match number seven of IPL 2024 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday, March 26.
This will be a rematch of the IPL 2023 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where CSK beat GT by five wickets (via DLS method) in a last-ball thriller.
Both Chennai and Gujarat won their first game. CSK beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets at Chepauk. Bowling first, Chennai held Bengaluru to 173-6 before romping home in 18.4 overs.
Gujarat, meanwhile, beat five-time champions Mumbai Indians by five runs in their IPL 2024 opener the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Batting first, Gujarat put up 168-6 before restricting Mumbai Indians to 162-9.
As CSK and GT get set to resume their rivalry in the Indian Premier League, we pick a combined XI of the two sides for IPL 2024:
Openers: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill
The current captains of the two teams, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shubman Gill, would open the batting in the combined CSK-GT playing XI.
Gaikwad was dismissed for a run-a-ball 15 in the IPL 2024 opener but possesses a terrific record in the IPL. He has 1,812 runs in 53 games at an average of 38.55 and a strike rate of 135.12, with one hundred and 14 fifties.
Meanwhile, Gill has the experience of 92 IPL games, smashing 2,821 runs at an average of 37.61 and a strike rate of 134.14, with three hundreds and 18 fifties. Last season, he amassed 890 runs at an average of 59.33 and a strike rate of 157.80, with three tons and four half-centuries.
Middle-order and all-rounders: Sai Sudharsan, Daryl Mitchell, David Miller, Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni (c & wk)
Sai Sudharsan is not the typical flamboyant T20 batter, but he has played some fine knocks for Gujarat Titans in the IPL.
In fact, he was the Player of the Match for his defiant knock of 45 off 39 in GT's win over Mumbai Indians. The left-hander also clobbered a terrific 96 off 47 in the IPL 2023 final, which got forgotten in the euphoria of CSK's dramatic triumph.
Daryl Mitchell gave glimpses of his potential on his debut for Chennai Super Kings against RCB, clubbing two sixes in his 22 off 18. The Kiwi has not yet set the IPL on fire. In three games across two seasons, he has only scored 55 runs, but could change this season as he turns out for CSK.
Experienced Gujarat Titans batter David Miller also finds a place in the combined XI. He was dismissed for 12 against Mumbai Indians but is a solid presence in the middle order. He has the experience of 122 games, scoring 2,726 runs at an average of 36.35 and a strike rate of 138.24, with one hundred and 12 half-centuries.
It would be difficult to leave out the duo of Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni from any combined XI featuring Chennai Super Kings players. Jadeja won the IPL 2023 final for CSK with a memorable cameo under pressure. His skills across departments make him a must have in any T20 dream team.
Dhoni, meanwhile, may no longer be the captain of CSK, but he would be the leader of the combined Chennai-Gujarat XI. He's still shrewd as a leader and can contribute behind the wickets and in front of it, as seen last season.
Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Mustafizur Rahman, Mohit Sharma, Tushar Deshpande
Gujarat Titans' canny leg-spinner Rashid Khan walks into combined XI without a second thought.
He was economical against Mumbai Indians, registering figures of 0-23 in four overs. Rashid has a brilliant IPL record, claiming 139 wickets in 110 games at an average of 20.92 and an economy rate of 6.66.
Mustafizur Rahman made a brilliant debut for CSK against RCB, picking up 4-29 in four overs. The left-arm pacer got four big wickets: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Rajat Patidar and Cameron Green. He will be high on confidence after his Player of the Match-winning performance.
GT's Mohit Sharma and CSK's Tushar Deshpande would be the other pacers in the combined XI for IPL 2024. Mohit dismissed Dewald Brevis and Tim David to finish with 2-32 from four overs. Tushar proved expensive against RCB but was impressive in IPL 2023, claiming 21 wickets in 16 games at an average of 26.86.
