Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and chose to bowl first against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. In a must-win final group-stage encounter for CSK, Gaikwad made two significant changes to his playing XI.
Gurjapneet Singh replaced Akeal Hosein, while Matthew Short came in for Prashant Veer. Veer, who was acquired by CSK for a hefty Rs 14.20 crore at the IPL 2026 auction, was dropped for this crucial fixture.
Ruturaj Gaikwad's Toss Statement
We are going to bowl first. There is some pace and bounce in the pitch and we want to exploit it early on. That is the only reason we are bowling first, Gaikwad said at the toss. Regarding the team combination, he added: We have made a couple of changes according to the conditions. Akeal misses out unfortunately, and Gurjapneet comes in. Matt Short plays in place of Prashant Veer.
When asked about regrouping for the important clash, Gaikwad emphasized simplicity and trust in the process. He noted that the previous game was a good fight despite not getting the desired result, and the focus is on turning up and securing a win. He stressed the need to keep things simple and perform well on the day.
Shubman Gill's Toss Statement
Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill revealed that his team also wanted to bowl first. We wanted to bowl first too, but not much difference here. We have one change: Prasidh Krishna comes in for Sai Kishore, Gill said. He expressed hope that the team maintains its intensity with the ball, acknowledging that the job is not done and they aim for three good games from here. GT have already qualified for the playoffs.
Playing XIs
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Urvil Patel, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Matthew Short, Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Kagiso Rabada, Arshad Khan, Mohammed Siraj
Impact Substitutes
Gujarat Titans Impact Subs: Prasidh Krishna, Anuj Rawat, Glenn Phillips, Kulwant Khejroliya, Kumar Kushagra
Chennai Super Kings Impact Subs: Kartik Sharma, Macneil Noronha, Sarfaraz Khan, Kuldip Yadav, Aman Khan
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