Titans take on four-time winners Chennai Super Kings

IPL had hit the reboot button last season with two new teams coming into the competition. Gujarat Titans winning the trophy in its debut season validated the claims of India’s resource pool that could easily accommodate 10 teams in the league. In doing so, Titans have built a reputation for themselves while able leadership qualities of Hardik Pandya came to the fore. Friday will be another fresh start for the tournament. It’s back to its home-and-away format with the tournament being played outside a bio-secure bubble for the first time since 2019. When Hardik’s Titans walk out this evening at an expectedly packed Narendra Modi Stadium here, they will have the perennial powerhouse in IPL cricket in waiting for them. MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings waiting for them. This season is going to test the temperament of Titans as defending champions. Hardik has offered hope of India finding a stable successor to Rohit Sharma as India’s white-ball captain. The broadcasters must be drooling over the match-up of India’s most successful captain MS Dhoni challenging Hardik, the leader-in-waiting who was groomed as an international cricketer by Dhoni himself. This time, Hardik will also have Kane Williamson by his side. Titans did not depend on solo performances as they rode to the title. They relied on teamwork to dominate the season, winning 12 out of 16 matches. This sounds just like the template Dhoni had set for CSK to win the IPL four times. The shrewd captain in Dhoni will be looking to make amends for last season’s ninth-place finish. Also, Titans got the better of CSK twice in 2022.