CSK vs GT, Qualifier 1 | M A Chidambaram Stadium Pitch Report
Chepauk to host the Qualifier 1 [Twitter]
The wait is over. After 70 gruelling matches, we have the four teams who will fight it out in the IPL 2023 playoffs.
Gujarat Titans, Chennai Super Kings, Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians have qualified for the playoffs and the race has started between the four teams to be crowned the new IPL champions.
As the format of the tournament suggests, the top-2 teams will fight it out in Qualifier 1. This season, this honour goes to the Gujarat Titans and the Chennai Super Kings. The match will take place at the iconic M A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday.
The two teams met only once during the group stage and the Gujarat Titans triumphed over the Super Kings by 5-wickets. But that game took place in Ahmedabad, and this will be a different ball-game altogether.
CSK vs GT: Pitch Report
The pitch at the Chepauk in the initial few games of the tournament helped the batters. It was an un-traditional surface, where the batters enjoyed batting. However, as the tournament progressed, it became slower and the team with better spin bowling attack utilised the conditions better.
In the last 3 matches at the venue, the run-scoring hasn't been that high. Total in 140s were there to be witnessed and CSK utilised their spinners to perfection.
The average first innings total at this venue is 162, whereas the average second innings total has been 150.
On the basis of these results, it can be observed that the pitch slows down as the game moves on. So in a crucial match like the Qualifier 1, team winning the toss is most likely to bat first and put runs on the board.
 "Anurag Dasgupta")
