No more of the countdowns and build-ups, it’s time to ring the bell and rumble! 

The curtains for TATA IPL 2023 will be raised on March 31 with a heavyweight clash between defending champions Gujarat Titans and four-time champions Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. 

The Titans family has a few new (but familiar) faces. New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson makes his way to the Titans camp. We also have Ireland’s Joshua Little and Caribbean all-rounder Odean Smith among overseas additions in the batch of 2023. We also roped in KS Bharat, Urvil Patel, Shivam Mavi and Mohit Sharma among Indian players.  

A lot has changed since the last time Hardik Pandya and his troops took to the field wearing the Titans’ blues. The skipper went on to lead India in T20Is and ODIs and was instrumental with the bat and ball for the Men in Blue. Our vice-captain Rashid Khan continued to light up the stage wherever he went and is again to weave his magic. Youngster Sai Sudarshan was one of the leading run-scorers in Vijay Hazare Trophy, while Alzarri Joseph finished as the leading wicket-taker in international cricket in 2022. Shubman Gill has also scored centuries in each format at the highest level and Shivam Mavi made his international debut earlier against Sri Lanka.

Last time the Gujarat Titans played at Apdu Amdavad, cricketing attendance records were shattered. Over a 100,000 people turned up to cheer the local side in last season’s final, which finished with a memorable six over fine leg from the willow of Gill. 

The Titans emerged victorious in both matches against Chennai Super Kings last season. A Herculean knock from David Miller and Rashid’s pyrotechnics helped us pull off a miraculous comeback in Pune, while our bowlers helped us clinch the reverse fixture in Mumbai. 

Peak into the opponent's camp

The legendary MS Dhoni will be playing at the revamped Narendra Modi Stadium for the first time and we cannot wait to welcome Thala to the thunderous cheers from our #TitansFAM.  

The Super Kings have added some proven match-winners to their roster, which includes English Test skipper Ben Stokes. After finishing ninth last season, CSK will be keen on turning the tables around in 2023, setting up a perfect tournament opener for the fans.   

The Titan to watch out for

No prizes for guessing who’s having the most “Gill-orious” time of his career. The statistics precede adjectives in Gill’s case, who already has centuries across all formats in 2023, including an unforgettable ODI double ton against New Zealand. These are Shubman’s numbers in 2023 - 624 runs at an average of 78 and strike rate of 117.51 in ODIs, 202 runs at an average of 40.40 and a strike rate of 165.57 in T20Is. 

It is an understatement to say that all eyes will be on Gill at the top to provide us with a cracking start and he is also closing in on 2,000 runs in TATA IPL.  

Key numbers

In TATA IPL 2022, Titans’ middle order (No. 4 to No. 7) accumulated 1,297 runs throughout the season, the most for any team.

Skipper Pandya was the leading run-scorer for the Titans in 2022, with 487 runs and eight wickets to his credit. 

Since 2019, Mohammad Shami has taken 25 wickets in Powerplay overs (3rd highest overall) and in the death, he scalped 45 wickets (3rd highest overall).   

Shami has picked up 99 wickets in TATA IPL. 

David Miller requires another 45 runs to complete 2,500 runs in TATA IPL. 

Match details

Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings, Match 1
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
7.30 PM