The winner of the first qualifier will get a chance to enter straight into the finals, the loser between CSK and GT will get a second chance by playing against the winner of the second qualifier from the teams that were positioned third and fourth — in this case the winner between Lucknow Super Giants LSG and Mumbai Indians MI.
The much-awaited first semi-final of the Indian Premier League IPL will kick off at 7:30 pm today. The match to be played between MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings and Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans has some players who can turn around a game. For Chennai Super Kings, the New Zealander Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Shivam Dube are the three players to watch out for.
Devon Conway
He is the third-highest run-getter at the IPL 2023. Conway has so far scored 585 runs in 14 matches with an average of 53.18. As an opener, his strike rate is 138.62 which is not bad either. His highest score is 92 and has clobbered six fifties this season. If he carries the form of his last match, GT will sure have a tough outing.
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Gaikwad has scored 504 runs in 14 matches and averages 42.00 with a strike rate of 148.33. He is the seventh-highest run-scorer in the current IPL. He has made three half-centuries this season with a top score of 92.
Shivam Dube
The third player in the IPL 2023 qualifiers to watch out is Dube who has scored 363 runs in 12 ties. This southpaw has an average of 40 and has scored with a strike rate of 157. Apart from them, Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni can turn around any game towards the end and they are big match-winners themselves.
Gujarat Titans
For the GT, Shubman Gill, Mohammad Shami, and Rashid Khan are the players to watch out for.
Shubman Gill
Shubman has accumulated 680 runs in the IPL 2023 in 14 matches at an average of 48.57. He is in top form right now.
Mohammad Shami
Mohammad Shami has taken 24 wickets in his 14 outings and is in a deadly form. Shami is picking wickets at an average of 17.66. On May 2, Shami ran through the Delhi Capitals taking 4 scalps for 11 runs. On May 15, it was the Sunrisers Hyderabad batsmen who were totally clueless about Shami’s bowling. By the fifth over they were at 29/4.
Rashid Khan
The third most important GT player to watch out for is Rashid. On April 9, he took a hat-trick against the Kolkata Knight Riders KKR removing Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Shardul Thakur. Rashid’s 23 wickets have come at an average of 16.78 and an economy of 8.04. In a match against Mumbai Indians on May 12, GT was unlucky despite Rashid’s 4 for 30 runs and a blitzkrieg 79 of 32 deliveries. He is also helpful with the bat. And, the skipper Hardik Pandya has always been a match-winner.