IPL 2024: CSK wary of GT’s ‘home advantage’

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would be wary of how many members of the Gujarat Titans (GT) squad would be feeling at ‘home’ when the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led and Shubman Gill-led sides lock horns in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday, March 26.

GT have a host of Tamil Nadu players in the side and their familiarity with the Chepauk track might put CSK’s strategies in hot water. B Sai Sudarshan, Vijay Shankar, R Sai Kishore, Shahrukh Khan and Sandeep Warrier have played considerable cricket in Chennai and would know the conditions on offer.

A lot would depend on the inputs from the Tamil Nadu players, but the Gill army would have more strategies in place to thwart CSK’s attempts.

CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said the local knowledge could be a shot-in-the-arm for the visitors but added that it would be hard to come up with a justification. “Yes, the local knowledge could help them. Definitely, for a few of the players, it would be a home game, in terms of conditions. But, it is hard to say,” Fleming quipped on the eve of the match.

The match is also billed as a contest between equals, given how the two new captains would be yearning to prove a point.

“I think it is just which team copes the pressure better. Both teams will be happy to win certainly. Winning key moments and playing their key players well will be a big part,” Fleming added.

The CSK head coach said, given the early days in the league, the team is still trying out various combinations to get to their ‘ideal playing XI’. “It is still very early in the completion so there are combinations being worked out and still the quest for cohesion in the team is being worked on. It is nice to win the early games, but there is a lot going on in regards to settling in the competition,” he said.