'We were in dressing room and...': MS Dhoni's frustration on Sunday washout, explains why reserve day will do 'justice'

“As a cricketer you always want to play. It was the crowd that suffered the most. Hopefully we can entertain them,” said Dhoni.

The IPL 2023 final is underway with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni winning the toss and opting to bowl first against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Monday. The finale, which was initially scheduled for Sunday, has been shifted to the reserve day as rain and hail storm lashed Ahmedabad last evening. While the scenes look extremely positive at the moment but Dhoni made his decision keeping the rain factor in mind, which may affect the contest later in the evening. [Follow | CSK vs GT Live Score, IPL 2023 Final]

Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni(PTI)

“We'll bowl first with the rain forecast being around," noted Dhoni when asked the reason for his choice. Meanwhile, CSK have fielded the same XI and fans might see Impact Substitute Shivam Dube being introduced in the second half of the contest.

Dhoni during his chat with Ravi Shastri during the toss also acknowledged the love shown by the travelling CSK fans, who have thronged the stadiums in numbers to support their side. While rain disrupted the proceedings last evening, the fans eagerly waited in the stadium, anticipating a rain curtailed contest.

“As a cricketer you always want to play. It was the crowd that suffered the most. Hopefully we can entertain them,” added Dhoni.

Expressing his views on the pitch, Dhoni expects the contest to be a run fest. He also hoped the rain to remain away, stating that a full 20 overs per side could do justice to a season finale.

"Pitch has been under cover for a long time, but throughout the tournament the pitch has behaved well over here. Quite happy it will be a 20-over game we'll be playing. Serves justice to the tournament like this,” the CSK skipper said.

Playing XIs:

Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya(c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami | Substitutes: Joshua Little, Srikar Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Odean Smith, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Deepak Chahar, Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana | Substitutes: Shivam Dube, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Akash Singh.