High flying Punjab Kings run into in-form Gujarat Titans

Two teams with contrasting tales so far in the latest edition of the tournament will be crossing swords as IPL 2022 heads into another maddening weekend. A confident Punjab Kings will be raring to build on their momentum against a soaring Gujarat Titans eager to keep their winning streak alive.

Despite a drubbing at the hands of the Kolkata Knight Riders, the Kings were able to quickly get their campaign on track as they romped over the reigning champions with extreme prejudice, imposing a win by 54 runs.

The Gujarat Titans left the Delhi Capitals reeling as they secured a comfortable win by 14 runs, exposing the skeleton of their pecking order. The best part for the Titans has so far been their bowling line-up that has been spearheaded by Kiwi quick Lockie Ferguson in the latest game, while seasoned Indian campaigner, Mohammed Shami razed through the Giants in their season opener.

Punjab Kings were off to a seraphic start as they pipped the Royal Challengers Bangalore in a high-scoring clash while they were successful in turning the tide around that saw them outplaying the Chennai Super Kings in all their departments.

Rahul Chahar has been in sublime form so far and has been the best bet for the Punjab Kings in a flurry of bowlers who have found it pretty difficult to keep things tight. However, the Kings are still to come forth with an emphatic statement as they have been heavily reliant on individual brilliance instead of a collective show of dominion.

With the Titans on the cards, the Kings will have to come forth with a better performance than the ones that they have so far conjured because the debutants have struck a perfect chemistry that can wreak havoc.

Venue Watch:

The game will be played at the Brabourne Stadium where the surface continues assisting the batters predominantly. The track has shown some early drift and bounce where the pacers have managed to trouble the batters but once the initial storm is weathered, it is all about the willow. However, with the dew coming in, the team chasing will have an added edge but once again given the unpredictable game that cricket is, assurance is just a myth.

Squads:

Gujarat Titans:

Hardik Pandya (c), Matthew Wade (wk), Rashid Khan (vc), Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, David Miller, Mohammed Shami, Varun Aaron, Lockie Ferguson, Jayant Yadav, Dominic Drakes, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Pradeep Sangwan, Alzarri Joseph, Noor Ahmad, R Sai Kishore, Darshan Nalkande, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudarshan, Yash Dayal.

Punjab Kings:

Shikhar Dhawan, Rahul Chahar, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Prabhsimran Singh, Ishan Porel, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Prerak Mankad, Atharva Taide, Vaibhav Arora, Writtick Chatterjee, Baltej Dhanda, Ansh Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Odean Smith, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Benny Howell, Nathan Ellis

Match Details:

Gujarat Titans vs Punjab Kings

Venue: Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai

Date: 8th April 2022

Time: 7:30 PM IST