New Delhi: In an IPL 2026 match held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday, Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and elected to field first against the Gujarat Titans. For CSK, in this ‘do-or-die’ encounter, their final match of the group stage, Ruturaj made two significant changes to his Playing XI against the Gujarat Titans.
Ruturaj brought Gurjapneet Singh into the squad in place of Akeal Hosein and gave an opportunity to Matthew Short, replacing Prashant Veer. Veer, whom the Chennai Super Kings had acquired for a staggering sum of ₹14.20 crore during the IPL 2026 auction, was left out of the team for this crucial fixture.
“We will bowl first. Obviously, there is some pace and bounce in the pitch, and we want to capitalize on that right from the start. So, that is the sole reason we are bowling first. (What is the team combination?) We have made a few changes. Obviously, keeping the conditions in mind, Akeel is unfortunately out of the team. Gurjapneet has come in to replace him. And Matt Short is playing in place of Prashant Veer,” said Ruturaj.
“(How have you mentally prepared yourself for this crucial match?) Well, it’s simply about keeping things simple and trusting the process. I feel we put up a good fight in the last match as well; obviously, we didn’t get the result we wanted, but it’s just about stepping onto the field, giving our absolute best, and securing a win at the end of the day.
But obviously, a lot of things happen, and we want to ensure that we keep things absolutely simple and deliver our best performance today,” he added. On the other hand, Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill made just one change, bringing Prasidh Krishna into the team in place of Sai Kishore. The Gujarat Titans have already qualified for the playoffs.
“We would have liked to bowl first as well, but there isn’t much dew here. We have made one change: Prasidh comes in for Sai Kishore. Hopefully, we can maintain our rhythm with the ball. The job isn’t done yet, and hopefully, we can play three good matches from here on,” said Shubman.
