The two teams who played the inaugural match of the sixteenth edition of the Indian Premier League, four-time champions Chennai Super Kings and the defending champions Gujarat Titans, are the two teams that will be playing in the IPL 2023 final for that glorious trophy and etching their name in history. In this article we take a close look at strengths and weaknesses of both the finalist.
In the IPL 2023 final, if CSK win it will become the team to win the trophy for a joint-record of 5 times. Whereas if GT wins, it will be the first team to win the trophy in their first two consecutive years.
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Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings are looking very strong in the build-up to the final. They have played some fantastic brand of cricket in the whole tournament. GT has found heroes for them in every match and the bowling unit has been sensational. CSK have been blessed with young talent and some experienced players have also found their mojo back. There are still a few weaknesses for these teams going into the big match and some really good strengths as well.
IPL 2023 Final: Gujarat Titans Strong and Weak Zone
Gujarat Titans’ biggest strength this season has been Shubman Gill. He has scored 851 runs till now with 3 centuries and is just batting brilliantly. He is timing the ball well and playing proper cricketing shots with beautiful elegance. He has glued the batting together throughout the season.
The performance you know.. The reason you don’t.. Captain @hardikpandya7#GTvMI #MIvGT pic.twitter.com/p0V8mCsUI4
— Gujarat Titans (@Gujrat_titans_) May 26, 2023
Another strength for them has been their bowling attack. Mohammad Shami in the powerplay, Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad in the middle overs, and Mohit Sharma at the death. GT bowlers have stolen the show and how. All the bowlers have done their job perfectly and a lot of credit for this should also go to their head coach, Ashish Nehra, who has shown for the second time in a row what a cricketing brain he has and can coach an international-level team as well.
One weakness for GT has been the lack of runs by batters other than Shubman Gill. The rest of the batting lineup has chipped in with useful contributions for the team whenever required but they have not been among the runs and it might become an issue for them if Gill gets out early in the final.
Chennai Super Kings Strong and Weak Zone
Chennai Super Kings have once again been blessed with their opening combination. Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad have batted really well throughout the IPL and this is a big reason CSK is into the finals. Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube have just been sensational with their power-hitting game this IPL.
Their batting has held the team together and has not let the bowlers come under pressure on most occasions. Rahane’s power game which was not expected by anyone has been top-notch along with Dube’s six-hitting. Ravindra Jadeja, the team’s trump card, has performed whenever the team has asked and whatever the team has asked from him.
Anbuden ➡️ Ahmedabad with a million whistles! 🥳#GTvCSK #WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/Tyjhxd1Nsf
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 23, 2023
A glaring weakness in the CSK team is the quality of their bowling lineup. The bowlers have done well for them till now but the inexperience has reflected a lot in the past few matches. They have bowled a lot of extras which is not expected at this stage. More was expected from Maheesh Theekshana as well but he has seriously underperformed this season.
Well, if the teams work on their strengths and don’t let their weaknesses rise, the job will get easier for them. With a superior bowling lineup and the form of Shubman Gill, Gujarat Titans are looking like the favorites to defend their title and put their name in the history books.
