IPL 2023 opener: Gujarat Titans wins toss, opts to ball against Chennai Super Kings
IPL 2023 opener: Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl first against Chennai Super Kings in season opener at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The IPL 2023 kickstart with a blockbuster clash between champions Gujarat Titans (GT) and four-time champions Chennai Super Kings.
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Gujarat Titans, who are defending champions, will begin their title defence against four-time champions . While Pandya will seek to replicate last year's performance, CSK captain MS Dhoni will seek to regain old glory for the team in the tournament.
Hardik Pandya GT skipper said it is always good to play in Ahmedabad."We'll bowl first. It's always good to play here. New start, new season, quite exciting. Almost everyone in the country has got motivation from him (Dhoni). Been a fan and admirer of him. Want boys to enjoy it. Result will take care of itself. It's different - I've left it in the coach. Ashu pa (Ashish Nehra) works all night on what needs to be done. I don't know (combination for today)," he said.
The opening ceremony of the match begans with singer Arijit Singh's soothing songs to actresses Tamanna Bhatia and Rashmika Mandanna's performances. The ceremony took place for the first time in two years following the Covid-19 pandemic.
The T20 cricket extravaganza will be played across 12 venues with the Narendra Modi Stadium hosting the opener on March 31 and the final of the tournament will be played on May 28 at the same venue in Ahmedabad.
In total 12 venues - Mohali, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur, Mumbai, Guwahati (Royals' second home) and Dharamsala (Kings' second home) will host the IPL 2023 matches.
Gujarat Titans squad: Abhinav Manohar, Shubman Gill, Kane Williamson, Hardik Pandya(c), Rahul Tewatia, Matthew Wade(w), Rashid Khan, Shivam Mavi, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal, Srikar Bharat, Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudharsan, Urvil Patel, Vijay Shankar, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Odean Smith, Jayant Yadav, Joshua Little, Darshan Nalkande, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma and Pradeep Sangwan.
- With inputs from agencies
