31 March 2023, Bangalore, India
The new season of the most prestigious T20 cricket tournament in the country will kick off on Friday, 31st March. It will be the sixteenth edition of the Indian Premier League, where we get to see players from around the globe play for franchises representing various Indian cities and states.
The latest edition of IPL will start with a big match between the defending champions of the tournament, Gujrat Titans, and the four-time champions of the tournament, Chennai Super Kings. Both franchises are led by two of the members of the Indian Cricket Team. Hardik Pandya is leading the Gujrat side, and in his opposition is the legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni leading the Chennai-based side.
The opening match will take place in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. As per reports, the Narendra Modi Stadium, previously known as the Motera Stadium or Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, has a seating capacity of approximately 132000 people. It is the largest stadium in the world.
Both sides will meet for the very first time in an opening match. It is a test for the side as it will be a battle to cement their status over each other. Failing to qualify for the qualifiers last time in the tournament, CSK will come with everything in their inventory to harm Hardik’s Gujrat-based side. Hardik has always been public about his views on the former Indian Cricket Team captain and what he thinks of him. It is no doubt it will be mixed feelings for the young lad when he faces his mentor in the first game of the latest edition of IPL.
Hardik Pandya parted ways with his former club cricket team Mumbai Indians last year to play for the new franchise Gujrat Titans. He was right away made the captain of the team, and he led the team straight to the tournament finals and won the trophy in his maiden season as the new club’s captain. He will be looking calm and confident with his roughly new team and try to dominate the game right from the beginning. This will come at a great cost of facing the best team the tournament has ever seen, Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings.
On the other hand, Dhoni will look to cement his legacy once and for all, as it seems it will be his last IPL tournament. The 42-year-old cricketer has already announced his retirement from various other formats of the sport, and this tournament can be the last one that he plays.
Here is the team list of both the teams clashing in the opener –
Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya (captain), Shubman Gill, Kona Bharat (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Kane Williamson, Rahul Tewatia, Abhinav Manohar, Mohammed Shami, Pradeep Sangwan, R Sai Kishore, Vijay Shankar, Sai Sudharshan, Rashid Khan, Shivam Mavi, Mathew Wade, Odean Smith, Urvil Patel, Darshan Nalkande, David Miller (not available in first 2 games), Josh Little (first match not available), Yash Dayal, Jayant Yadav, Odean Smith, Noor Ahmed, Alzarri Joseph.
CSK: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Sisanda Magala, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Dwaine Pretorius, Ahay Mandal, Nishant Sindhu, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Mitchell Santner, Subharnshu Senapati, Simarjeet Singh, Matheesa Pathirana, Mahesh Theekshana, Bhagath Verma, Prashant Solanki, Shaikh Rasheed, Tushar Deshpande.
The match will be played right after the opening ceremony in the Narendra Modi Stadium. The ceremony will start at 6 pm IST, and the match will likely start by 7:30 pm. People can see the live telecast of the match in the Jio Cinema app and website for free. Viewers can also watch on Television via the Star Sports network.
source-The quint,The times of India
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