Punjab Kings. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be hosting reigning champions Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 18th match of the Indian Premier League 2023 at Mohali’s PCA IS Bindra Stadium on Thursday, April 13. Both teams enter the game after suffering their first defeat of the season in their last respective games. Despite home advantage, Punjab Kings seem second favourite to clinch two points from this fixture as Gujarat Titans are looking comparatively strong and balanced.
The hosts lost against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last game by eight wickets and are currently placed sixth in the points table with four points from three games. They were restricted to just 143/9 while batting first after Shikhar Dhawan’s remarkable 99* off 66. After Shikhar, only Sam Curran scored in double digits as the batting unit seemed clueless against the Sunrisers. Matthew Short made his IPL debut but was not able to make an impact, while the likes of Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, and Shahrukh Khan failed to contribute.
Liam Livingstone is available for selection and will likely play alongside Short in a big boost for Punjab’s middle order. In bowling, Kagiso Rabada is expected to play his first game this season and might replace Nathan Ellis, with the latter failing to get any wickets against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last game. Arshdeep has taken six wickets in IPL 2023, but Curran, Rahul Chahar, and Harpreet Brar will need to contribute more from their end.
On the other hand, Gujarat Titans almost recorded their third consecutive win this season, but Rinku Singh’s heroics with five consecutive sixes in the last over denied them two crucial points. The management will not be much worried about their three-wicket defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders and is unlikely to make any panic changes to their balanced team.
Shubman Gill played another good knock, while Sai Sudharsan and Vijay Shankar pulled off brilliant fifties. Hardik Pandya missed the last game due to illness but is expected to make a quick return. They failed to defend 204 runs against the Knight Riders but apart from Yash Dayal’s costly spell; the bowlers were impressive. Rashid Khan took three wickets, while Alzarri Joseph picked two more wickets. It will be interesting to see if Gujarat continues with Yash, who is yet to pick a wicket this season or replace the left-arm pacer with Shivam Mavi.
Pitch and Conditions
Mohali’s PCA IS Bindra Stadium is a batting-friendly surface with very little help for the bowlers in T20 cricket. The average first innings score here is 166, with teams batting second, winning 32 of 57 IPL matches. Punjab Kings scored 191/5 while batting first in the first game at this venue this season, so that fans can expect a high-scoring clash in the upcoming game.
Probable Playing XIs for PBKS vs GT
Punjab Kings
Liam Livingstone and Kagiso Rabada are expected to play their first game this season, and that will push Sikandar Raza and Nathan Ellis to the bench. Raza came in as an impact player to add depth in batting ahead of Rabada in the last game, but with Livingstone available, Punjab will distribute sixth bowling option duties with Short and Livingstone.
Predicted Playing XI: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh, Matthew Short, Liam Livingstone, Shahrukh Khan, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh
Gujarat Titans
Gujarat are unlikely to tinker with their playing eleven apart from Hardik coming in back in place of Abhinav Manohar. Vijay Shankar will start if they bat first, and Joshua Little will play if they bowl first. Yash Dayal’s form will be the only headache for the management, who might consider Shivam Mavi or R Sai Kishore for the next few games.
Predicted Playing XI: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Mohammad Shami, Joshua Little
PBKS vs GT Head-to-head
Played – 2 Gujarat Titans – 1
PBKS vs GT Broadcast and Live Streaming Details
Match Timings: 07:30 PM IST
Live Broadcast: Star Sports Network
Live Streaming: JioCinema App & Website