Eyeing a top-two finish to ensure a shot at Qualifier 1, Gujarat Titans will have their tails up when they face a flagging Chennai Super Kings side seeking to regain lost ground after a rather disappointing campaign, in their IPL match here on Thursday.
A top-two placement at the end of the league stage grants the teams two opportunities to reach the final.
Currently placed second with 16 points, the Titans are in a three-way battle alongside table-toppers Royal Challengers Bengaluru (18 points) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (16 points), and victory against CSK will vastly improve their chances of a top-two finish in the group phase.
A victory over CSK by a heavy margin could even push GT past RCB’s (+1.065) net run rate, depending on other fixtures. And if SRH too win their final league stage game against RCB, the battle for the second spot will come down to net run rate. In this scenario, GT hold slight edge with their NNR (+0.400) being better than Sunrisers’ +0.350.