Ahead of the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) mentor Gautam Gambhir has acknowledged that beating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium won’t be easy by any stretch of imagination.
The IPL 2023 will go back to the home-and-away format with all 10 franchises playing at their home grounds as well. This practice had to be abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as IPL 2020 was held in UAE, IPL 2021 partially in India and UAE, and IPL 2022 was held in Maharashtra with the final played in Ahmedabad.
But with the pandemic on its decline, the BCCI has decided to go back to the home-and-away format. CSK, led by MS Dhoni, will play their first home match at the Chepauk on April 3 against the Super Giants.
“When you play at home, which has always been Chennai Super Kings’ strength, they have always made it a point to make their home a fortress. Whenever they have played away, it’s been a challenge for them.
“So, when you win the majority of matches at home, then you don’t need to win too many matches away. So, it will be very challenging for the teams visiting Chennai at their home ground,” Gambhir was quoted as saying on Star Sports.
“Previously, all the matches were played under similar conditions, but this time, it will be challenging for the teams playing at different venues with grounds having different dimensions, wickets, combinations. When the auction was going on, all franchises prepared their teams by considering their home conditions,” he further stated.
Gambhir also pointed out that the Super Kings have the resources to make use of the spin-friendly conditions at Chepauk.
“If you look at the Chennai team, they have Maheesh Theekshana, Ravindra Jadeja, these guys suited their home conditions. So, I believe you can’t take any team lightly. If the tournament was being held at two or three venues, then probably, you could have named two or three teams as favourites,” he remarked.
Chennai Super Kings will begin their IPL 2023 campaign in the tournament opener against Gujarat Titans at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 31.
