Punjab Kings seek atonement as the Gujarat Titans step foot in their den

IPL 2023 has already kickstarted its shenanigans early as even before the tournament has crossed the five-match mark for each team, it feels like a snake and ladder game for the various rungs of the points table. As the tournament advances further, we have another blockbuster clash awaiting us all on a Thursday evening as a hard-hitting Punjab Kings take on the Gujarat Titans.

Punjab Kings had a swashbuckling start to the tournament as they drubbed the Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals before their juggernaut met a screeching halt as they crumbled like a house of cards in front of a resurgent Sunrisers Hyderabad with their entire batting unit wilting under the pump of the Orange Army.

Gujarat Titans also soared off to a phenomenal opening of their title defence as they outclassed Chennai Super Kings without breaking a sweat, while getting the better of Delhi Capitals was child’s play for them as they claimed a 4-wicket win over the David Warner-led contingent. They were well en route to another victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders until that final over histrionics unfurled where Rinku Singh smashed five staggering sixes to clinch a historic win against the reigning champions.

As both sides hope to get back to the winning ways after a rare drop in their form and that too by the barest margin in the case of the Gujarat Titans, expect them to come out all guns blazing and put every possible resource on the line, as this game turns into an important fixture where a win would guarantee them a status of reckoning in the latest campaign of IPL whereas a defeat can put their stature in the tournament to some serious contemplation.

 
Head to head:

Matches played: 2

PBKS: 1

GT: 1

Match Details:

Match: Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans

Venue: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium

Date: 13th April, 2023

Time: 7:30 PM

Squads:

Punjab Kings:

Shikhar Dhawan (C), Prabhsimran Singh(w), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Nathan Ellis, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Matthew Short, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Atharva Taide, Mohit Rathee, Shivam Singh, Raj Bawa, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Kagiso Rabada, Baltej Singh.

 
Gujarat Titans:

Hardik Pandya (C), Shubman Gill, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, R Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Odean Smith, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma, Dasun Shanaka