GT vs PBKS Preview: Gujarat look to continue their winning momentum at home
Gujarat Titans (GT) square off against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the gigantic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday, April 4.
Under Shubman Gill’s captaincy, Gujarat has won two out of their first three games. In their last game, Titans defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets with five balls to spare. They chased down a target of 163 runs. Wriddhiman Saha has been providing some quick starts for the former champions and so has Shubman. However, Gujarat fans will want at least one of them to bat longer than they have.
Shubman, who won the Orange Cap last season, has scored just 75 runs from three matches but has looked in sublime touch when he has been out in the middle. Young Sai Sudharsan is the leading run-getter for the Titans this season. He has scored 127 runs from three matches at an average of 42.33. The bowling department has also done well for the Titans even in the absence of last year’s Purple Cap winner Mohammed Shami. Mohit Sharma has bagged six wickets in three games and is one wicket away from catching Mustafizur Rahman on the list of highest wicket-takers in IPL 2024.
Punjab Kings had a promising start to the campaign as they defeated Delhi Capitals by four wickets at their new home in Chandigarh. However, they have suffered back-to-back defeats on the road against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants.
Shikhar Dhawan has scored 137 runs from three matches but hasn’t received much support from his fellow batters. The likes of Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone will have to add more value with the willow. Prabhsimran Singh has shown promise but the other wicketkeeper-batters in the side, Jonny Bairstow and Jitesh Sharma have disappointed.
The Kings have a very experienced bowling lineup comprising Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Curran, and Rahul Chahar. However, none of them have been able to do well consistently. The Punjab-based side would love to get back to winning ways on Thursday against a formidable Gujarat side.
Head to Head
Three games have been played so far between these two sides. Gujarat has won two matches while Punjab has tasted victory only once.
Pitch Report
The two games that have been played so far at the Narendra Modi Stadium have seen the batters struggling to find their timing, especially in the death overs. A target of over 175 will be hard to chase down. Batters will have to make good use of the hard new ball and the field restrictions inside the powerplay.
Probable Playing XI
Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Shubman Gill (C), Sai Sudharsan, David Miller, Vijay Shankar, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Umesh Yadav, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma, Impact Sub – Darshan Nalkande
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (C), Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Impact Sub – Arshdeep Singh
