The Indian Premier League (IPL) final is all set to be played between the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (May 28). While there is a lot of anticipation for the finale with several former cricketers and pundits expressing their views on which way the game could go, India's cricket icon Sunil Gavaskar has also shared his opinion on the same. While he rated the Hardik Pandya-led GT as the best team of the competition, he said that he wanted CSK to lift the trophy because of MS Dhoni.
"Chennai Super Kings have always been my second favourite team apart from the Mumbai Indians. My heart wants CSK to win because the fact that MS Dhoni is able to win it one more time would be fantastic. Proving once again that calm, cool decision-making can make a difference. Having said that, Gujarat Titans have been the best team. They have got a terrific opener in Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya," Sunil Gavaskar said on Sports Today.
Notably, this is the first time that an IPL season will end with the same fixture with which it started as GT will be up against CSK, much like the tournament opener which was also played at the same time. On that occasion though it was the home team who had emerged victorious. No matter which teams wins though, there will a record which will be equalled. If the Men in Yellow, them MS Dhoni will equal Rohit Sharma's record of the captain with the most number of titles and if Hardik Pandya lifts the trophy, he will be the third skipper after Dhoni and Rohit to have won back-to-back titles in the competition.
The first ball of the IPL 2023 will be bowled at 07:30 pm (IST) with the toss scheduled at 07:00 pm (IST).