The biggest IPL Final in history will take place when the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans and MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings square off at Gujarat’s Narendra Modi Stadium. The largest stadium is likely to be packed with more than 1 lakh spectators, and the championship final is anticipated to be the most-watched event of the year on television and online.
There is already talk of it becoming the biggest IPL match ever on TV and Jio Cinema, not just the most-watched IPL match of the year.
Top 5 IPL Games of all time
Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Titans: 2.5 crore
Chennai Super Kings vs Gujarat Titans: 2.5 crore
Royal Challenges Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings: 2.4 crore
Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals: 2.2 crore
Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Titans: 2.1 crore
High scores expected
The grand finale is anticipated to be a high-scoring contest, with the side batting first typically benefiting in high-stress situations. Shubman Gill, who is in top form for Gujarat Titans, will be their main batsman and will be looking to W Saha, Hardik Pandya, and David Miller for support.
With the new ball, experienced Indian pacer Mohammed Shami can be quite dangerous. He has so far taken 28 wickets in 16 games, and as a result, he is presently in the lead for the IPL Purple Cap. Accompanying him will be the ace spinner Rashid Khan who is also not far behind in the race for the purple cap.
Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad will pose a serious danger to Gujarat in Chennai. They finally interrupted GT’s celebration in Qualifier 1, and on a pitch that is conducive to batting, the pair can be quite dangerous in the middle. Additionally, MS Dhoni has the crucial experience that Hardik seems to be lacking, which might make a significant difference in the summit match.
The Narendra Modi Stadium’s playing surface will favor the batsmen. Anything over 180 runs will be a solid total on this surface, and bowling first will be excellent on this pitch. The second innings of the game can include dew.
The legend vs the rock star
“Hardik Pandya Got That Midas Touch You Need to be an Outstanding White-ball Captain”: Michael Vaughan told Cricbuzz. The cricketing elite has praised Hardik for his leadership abilities, whereas Dhoni is an icon of the sport. In the championship game, both Hardik and Dhoni will be attempting to make history, but only one of them will succeed.
Even better than the illustrious CSK captain MS Dhoni, Hardik presently leads the IPL with a win percentage of over 70 percent.
“When he was captaining for the first time last year, nobody knew what to expect because he has been one of the most exciting and excitable cricketers as well. But that excitable part, we have seen over the last year. The calmness that he brings into the team is reminiscent of MSD. This is a happy team, which is exactly what we see with CSK as well. Hardik has to take a lot of credit for that,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
All-arounder Hardik Pandya developed into a champion T20 skipper during the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Pandya, who made his captaincy debut with the Gujarat-based team the season before, not only led GT to an IPL championship triumph in their maiden season, but the talented all-rounder now is on the cusp of defending the title.
Dhoni’s last IPL?
On the other side, Even though MS said he will decide on his IPL future later this year, the 41-year-old is still a massive draw in cricket-crazy India, and the championship game is widely expected to be his last as a player.
In the past, CSK and India under Dhoni have lost games when they may have been better off playing flamboyant cricket, but CSK is content to accept those occasions when the opposing team triumphs despite committing more mistakes in a format of cricket that mainly relies on luck. Instead of going for 180 and running the chance of being bowled out for 140, they are content with 160 and still competing.
The saying “the process matters, the results don’t” is appealing, but few leaders, aside from Dhoni, manage to hold onto the notion that the team that commits fewer errors typically prevails in a playoff situation when the game is slipping away and you are aware of what the dew did to your bowlers in the previous game at the same venue.
“MS Dhoni hands down in my view is the best T20 captain we have ever seen. And he has shown examples of that this year,” Moody said on ESPNcricinfo.
In the post-match presentation after Qualifier 1, Dhoni stated that while dropping a catch won’t cause him to react, failing to keep an eye on him constantly will be bad for them. He is a fussy captain who frequently moves his fielders a few feet in either direction. Dhoni also stated that there can never be “just another final” in a competition as massive as the IPL, who was visibly moved by the enthusiastic response from the fans.
“I’ll always be a Mahendra Singh Dhoni fan and for so many fans out there and so many cricket lovers. You need to be a proper devil to hate Mahendra Singh Dhoni,” said Pandya in a video posted by Gujarat Titans on social media.
Talking about the final, Sachin Tendulkar observed that the wickets of Gill and David Millers will be key for Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings. “Gujarat is a formidable side and the wickets of @ShubmanGill, @hardikpandya7 & @DavidMillerSA12 will be key for Chennai tonight. @ChennaiIPL also bat deep with @msdhoni coming in as low as number 8, hence it could be a case of one team out-batting the other. Itβs going to be an interesting Final to watch,” Tendulkar concluded.
Gujarat’s second season in the league has seen tremendous local support, but Dhoni’s participation is all set to polarise their opinions.
Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings battled each other to kick off the IPL 2023 season in Ahmedabad. In addition, a matchup between the same teams will also mark the end of the season.
A spectacle awaits the cricket world in a stadium where fans are expected to wear yellow despite the home team competing in the final. The stage is all set for a fairytale finish. The crowd will roar ” Mahi Mahi” and the nation will want to see this man lifting another trophy probably for one final time.
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