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Peter Green - March 24, 2025
After winning the IPL in 2022 and finishing as runners-up in 2023, Gujarat Titans entered the 2024 season with high expectations. However, they struggled last season, winning just five of their 14 matches and finishing eighth in the standings.
Punjab Kings pulled off a few surprise wins but failed to build momentum. They have also won five of their 14 league games and finished at second from the bottom of the standings, one spot below Gujarat. These two sides will be hoping to deliver a better display this season with an updated squad and will meet each other in their opening outing at Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday.
Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings have faced each other five times in the Indian Premier League. Titans lead the head-to-head with three wins out of five meetings, while Kings have won twice. Notably, their first encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad occurred on April 4, 2024, during IPL 2024. In that thrilling match, PBKS emerged victorious by three wickets with a ball to spare.
At the Narendra Modi Stadium, GT has played 12 matches, securing eight wins and suffering four losses. Their highest total at this venue is 233/3, while their lowest is 125/6. PBKS, on the other hand, has played four matches at this stadium, winning one, losing two, and one match ending in a tie, which they won via a Super Over. Their highest total here is 191, with a lowest of 123.
Gujarat Titans have revamped their lineup by acquiring key players such as England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler, South African pacer Kagiso Rabada, and Indian fast bowler Mohammed Siraj. These additions aim to strengthen both their batting and bowling departments. The team is also banking on a formidable opening partnership between Buttler and captain Shubman Gill, expecting this duo to provide explosive starts.
In a record-breaking move, PBKS secured the services of Indian batsman Shreyas Iyer for approximately $3.17 million during the IPL auction, marking one of the highest bids in the league’s history. Additionally, their squad includes Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and the possible opening duo Prabhsimran Singh and Josh Inglis. Considering an explosive Shashank Singh, the PBKS batting attack looks competitive.
Rashid Khan (GT): This leg breaker has become an asset to the Titans as he picked 56 wickets in the past three seasons. Apart from his googly expertise, he can sometime help the team in batting and has done it many times in the past, delivering the role as a finisher.
Jos Buttler (GT): A trustworthy opener for GT considering his previous performances. He scored over 350 runs in his last three IPL seasons. Buttler secured two centuries last season and had an average of 40.
Shreyas Iyer (PBKS): Shreyas have managed to maintain an average of 30 per season in the last five years. He is a valuable addition for the team especially as a captain as he took Delhi Capitals to their maiden final in 2020 and secured the IPL title last season.
Yuzvendra Chahal (GT): Chahal has picked up at least 18 wickets in the past four seasons in a row. He picked up 18 wickets in his last season for Rajasthan Royals and will definitely be a key player in troubling the batting side of GT.
Captain- Shubman Gill
Jos Buttler, Sai Sudharsan, Glenn Phillips, Mahipal Lomror, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj.
Impact Player- Prasidh Krishna
Captain- Shreyas Iyer
Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Impact Player- Nehal Wadhera
Their latest game at this venue was a highly competitive one with Punjab securing a win. Gujarat’s 199 scored was chased by Punjab with one ball to spare. Punjab Kings have strengthened their squad, and under Shreyas Iyer’s leadership, they look more competitive this season. Considering Iyer’s achievements in the IPL as a captain, we expect him to revamp PBKS.
Moving on, Punjab defeated Gujarat in all the two clashes on the road. Despite losing both, GT had the top-scoring batsmen. In fact, all the five meetings between these two teams saw a GT batsmen securing the highest score. Since they have a strong opening pair, we expect them to maintain that trend.
Punjab’s captain Shreyas Iyer is coming after an outstanding Champions Trophy season. He was the highest scoring Indian batsman in that campaign too. Additionally, Shreyas has maintained an average of 30 per season in last five years. Given his current form, scoring over 24.5 runs seems very achievable.
Furthermore, Punjab Kings have consistently lost an early wicket in their last two away games against Gujarat. It is noteworthy that they won both the games. Although Prabhsimran Singh has played well as an opener in the first three games of the last IPL season, he is collaborated with Josh Inglis, who is having a debut IPL campaign this time.
