MS Dhoni (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)

NEW DELHI: Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first against Gujarat Titans in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Sunday. For Gujarat, who have 18 points from 13 matches with nine wins, a victory is vital as it would secure a top-two finish heading into the playoffs.For CSK, already out of playoff contention, the match offers another opportunity to test their young players and try new combinations.“We will bat first. It (pitch) looks nice and hard, think it will remain the same throughout the 40 overs. It’s quite hot, looks like a good track. It’s (his body) surviving. Every year is a new challenge. It needs a lot of maintenance. Didn’t trouble me enough when I was playing international cricket. Chennai is very nice after 3.30-4pm, this is different heat, on the drier side,” Dhoni said at the toss.“We are last in the table, we will still remain last, if win or lose. Need to enjoy our cricket. We have one change. Hooda is back for Ashwin. They are a good side, they play authentic cricket. Need to bowl tight lines, otherwise the batters will punish you,” he added.

Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill also made one change to the playing XI, with Gerald Coetzee replacing Kagiso Rabada.“Feels exciting to have that (Test captaincy) challenge, it’s going to be an exciting series against England for us. In the last match we were in the game till the 16th or 17th over. We were looking to bowl first today anyway. Looks a good wicket to bat on, it won’t change much. We have one change, Gerald Coetzee comes in for Kagiso Rabada,” Gill said.Playing XIs:Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Gerald Coetzee, R. Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Arshad Khan, Prasidh Krishna.Chennai Super Kings: Ayush Mhatre, Devon Conway, Urvil Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed.Impact Substitutes:Gujarat Titans: Sai Sudharsan, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Washington Sundar, Ishant SharmaChennai Super Kings: Matheesha Pathirana, Vijay Shankar, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Ravichandran Ashwin