Former champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT), seven games in, are stuck in the Indian Premier League’s mid-table traffic with identical report cards: three wins, four losses, and six points. A nervous glance upward and one would know Punjab Kings (13 points), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (10), and Rajasthan Royals (10) aren’t courteously waiting around.

Chepauk’s afternoon fixture was originally scheduled to be played on May 21. But a swap of the reverse fixture had to be forced in view of the municipal corporation elections in some parts of Gujarat on Sunday. If the Titans could, they would have opted for a swap of the overall Net Run Rate (NRR) as well—CSK’s +0.118 has kept it afloat at fifth; GT is seventh with -0.790.

To add to Shubman Gill’s woes, CSK enters the contest with enormous momentum, having dismantled archrival Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. The 103-run margin made it to the record books of both franchises. CSK would remember the game as its biggest victory by runs, while MI would want to forget its heaviest loss ever.

The Samson factor

Sanju Samson, fresh off his second hundred this season, will be especially threatening at the top. His spin-bashing abilities, however, will be put to the test with the sensational Rashid Khan operating during the middle overs of a baking surface at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium.

GT, blessed with a sensational bowling lineup, would, however, look to rip through CSK’s top order within the PowerPlay itself with Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj sharing the new ball. The duo has a combined tally of 17 wickets. Moreover, in the first six overs, the Titans have conceded only 9.23 runs every six balls. The said rate is only higher than that of Lucknow Super Giants (7.85) and RR (8.35).

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If the ploy works out, Prasidh Krishna, GT’s highest wicket-taker thus far with 12, will be delighted to hit the deck against the likes of Sarfaraz Khan and Dewald Brevis, who have failed to convert their promising starts into big scores, in the middle overs.

“Nothing wrong with Brevis,” CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said on the eve of the game, before adding, “It’s obviously a more aggressive game that everyone is playing, so you’re going to get times where there are going to be starts, and then you get out. The role of the finisher is still important, but it’s not the traditional model that you build up to 16 (overs), and then you have someone like MS (Dhoni) come in and blaze it.”

Incidentally, Dhoni, out with a calf strain, faced throwdowns once again on Saturday, albeit in short bursts of about five minutes each.

Middle-order woes

GT’s middle-order, in the meantime, has caused its management a persistent headache. In fact, if batting positions between five and eight are considered, the 2022 winner has the second-worst average runs per wicket (19.18).

With CSK’s bowling attack, featuring Purple Cap holder Anshul Kamboj (14 wickets at an average of 15.78), having impressed of late, GT’s top three—Gill, B. Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler—would be under immense pressure to face a substantial amount of deliveries.

The track, predominantly black-soil, will be expected to grip and turn as the game wears on. With dew not playing a part, the team winning the toss should look to defend its total.

Published on Apr 25, 2026