The Chiefs have named Bay of Plenty No10 Kaleb Trask in the halves alongside Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi for their first and only pre-season fixture, with the side meeting the Blues in the opening round of the regular season on January 31.
Gatland named a 35-man team for the pre-season, which did not include All Blacks who featured in the Rugby World Cup campaign and will be played over four 20-minutes quarters.
With captain Sam Cane unavailable, Mitchell Karpik will join Mitchell Brown on the side of the scrum, while Pita Gus Sowakula has been given the first opportunity to lock down the vacant No8 jersey, with Tyler Ardron remaining at lock.
As expected, Samisoni Taukei'aho starts at hooker in place of the injured Nathan Harris, who will miss an extended period of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Chiefs fans won't have to wait long to see young gun Quinn Tupaea in action, as he starts in the midfield alongside Tumua Manu with Anton Lienert-Brown unavailable. Tupaea isn't expected to feature heavily in the Chiefs' campaign this season, but has been earmarked as an important piece of the club's future.
Chiefs: Damian McKenzie, Sean Wainui, Quinn Tupaea, Tumua Manu, Shaun Stevenson, Kaleb Trask, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Pita Gus Sowakula, Mitchell Karpik, Mitchell Brown, Tyler Ardron, Laghlan McWhannell, Reuben O'Neill, Samisoni Taukei'aho, Ryan Coxon. Reserves: Bradley Slater, Ollie Norris, Ross Geldenhuys, Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Lachlan Boshier, Lisati Milo-Harris, Orbyn Leger, Solomon Alaimalo, Tiaan Falcon, Leroy Carter, James Thompson, Tupou Vaa'i, Aidan Ross, Simon Parker, Josh Lord, Donald Maka, Bailyn Sullivan, Dylan Nel, Robb Cobb, Alex Nankivell.