Who will win

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Defending champions Chennai Super Kings will lock horns with Gujarat Titans on April 17 at Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune. Both the teams will look to continue with their winning momentum after wins in their previous games. Newly appointed skippers and highly rated all-rounders will lead their respective franchises in the 29th match of the season, and it will be interesting to see who wins in terms of tactics and leads the side better. 

Pitch Report: 

The pitch provides well-balanced support. Although batters will enjoy batting on the surface, and we can expect some high-scoring games, bowlers too should pose a tough challenge to opponents. The team chasing the target will have an advantage and thus the team winning the toss would opt to chase the target. 

Team Analysis: 

Chennai Super Kings:

Ruturaj Gaikwad's form is a significant concern for Men in Yellow as the batter was the orange cap holder from the previous season. Moeen Ali lacks the consistency at the top of the order, and some similar inconsistency is there with Ambati Rayudu. However, Robin Uthappa (88 off 50) and Shivam Dube (95 off 46) single-handedly destroyed Bangalore's bowling attack and posted a total of 216 onboard in their most-recent outing.

Mahesh Theekshana's four-wicket haul and skipper Jadeja picking three wickets were other positives from the previous game. Chris Jordon and Dwayne Bravo have done well overall to keep things in check, even though the latter was taken for runs in the last match.

Gujarat Titans: 

The Titans boast of a strong bowling line-up with New Zealand speedster Lockie Ferguson (8 wickets), Mohammed Shami (7) and skipper Hardik Pandya (4) himself all capable of taking wickets and putting the opposition at bay. With six wickets so far, Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan has done the job of squeezing the run flow.

Pandya and opener Shubman Gill, with two fifties each, have been among the runs in the batting department, but Matthew Wade's form has been a concern. Rookie Abhinav Manohar and South Africa's David Miller came good in their last match, and the team will expect them to take more responsibility. As a finisher, Rahul Tewatia, too, shone in his role as his sixes earned the Titans a win over Lucknow Super Giants.

Match prediction: 

Conclusion: Gujarat are the number 1 ranked team on the table for a reason. They have won 4 out of their 5 matches and Hardik Pandya's leadership has been nothing short of inspirational. Chennai, by contrast, are the second last team on the table and have just one win from their 5 fixtures. Expecting the table-toppers to prevail in this game. 

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the author’s point of view. They neither reflect the opinion of SportsTiger nor advise anyone to make any prediction based on this. SportsTiger does not assume any responsibility and liability for the same.