PBKS vs GT Preview – Punjab, Gujarat eye their 3rd win of the season

Gujarat Titans were handed their first defeat of the season at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders in Ahmedabad. It was KKR’s Rinku Singh, who single-handedly steered the side to a historic win. He smashed five sixes on the trot against Yash Dayal in the last over.

Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya was confined to the sidelines in the previous outing but will be returning in the forthcoming match against the Punjab Kings. It will be interesting to see if Gujarat show faith in pacer Yash Dayal after getting hit for 5 sixes.

When it comes to the Punjab Kings, Shikhar Dhawan and Co. are reeling from a loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad and will be gunning to get back to winning ways. The side has been handed with a major boost ahead of their upcoming game. English all-rounder Liam Livingstone is sweating it out in the nets to feature in the XI.

Speaking about their head-to-head records, the two sides have played only two matches thus far in the top-tier league. While the Titans won the first clash, Punjab won the second in the 2022 edition and will be raring to add another win this season. An interesting clash awaits as both sides will take the field on Thursday, April 13 at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.

Pitch and conditions

The surface at the PCA IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali aids the batters. Additionally, a high-scoring encounter can be expected considering that the two sides have decent top-draw batters. Any score over 170 will prove to be competitive and either skipper winning the toss may elect to bowl first.

Venue details: Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali.

Last T20 match at the venue: PBKS- 191/5 (20 overs) | KKR- 146/7 (16 overs) [Rain-affected match]

Here’s the probable playing XI for Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans clash:

Punjab Kings

Considering that English star all-rounder Liam Livingstone has joined the Punjab camp, the side could likely field the player in the upcoming clash.

Gujarat Titans

Titans saw Rashid Khan leading the side in place of regular skipper Hardik Pandya in their previous outing against KKR. However, the regular skipper is likely to make his way back into the XI for the forthcoming clash.