Punjab Kings would be wary of losing more ground in the tournament when they face Shubman Gill‘s Gujarat Titans in Match 17 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 in Ahmedabad today (Thursday).Facing tearaway pacer Mayank Yadav on a lively Ekana track in Lucknow to a slow Motera strip, PBKS batters must adapt quickly and be ready to face off pace deliveries at the Narendra Modi Stadium against a side led by local Punjab boy Shubman Gill.
Scoring just 75 runs across three games may not be considered poor in T20 cricket, but for Shubman Gill, a batting average of 25 falls short of his lofty standards. As Gujarat Titans gear up to face Punjab Kings in their fourth match of the season, all eyes will be on their newly appointed captain. The question looming large: is the burden of captaincy affecting Gill’s performance?
Big picture – Punjab boy Shubman Gill vs Punjab Kings
Life after Hardik Pandya hasn’t been too bad after all for Gujarat Titans. Their new captain Shubman Gill has marshalled them to two wins in three games, with both the victories coming at home. They will look to make it three in three at home when Punjab boy Shubman Gill will captain Titans against Punjab Kings on Thursday.
Azmatullah Omarzai has swung the new ball in the powerplay while Mohit Sharma has often been un-hittable at the death. The team had a rich Afghanistan flavor against Sunrisers Hyderabad, with Omarzai, Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad all making it to the XI. They also have R Sai Kishore in their roster if they want to rejig the spin attack and unleash Spencer Johnson’s express pace on Kings, who had struggled against IPL’s newest pace sensation Mayank Yadav last weekend.
Kings had started their season with a win against Delhi Capitals at their new home in Mullanpur, but suffered back-to-back losses on the road in Bengaluru and Lucknow. Another defeat on the road will leave them even more vulnerable as a number of other teams have already hit the ground running.
Harshal Patel, for whom Kings had shelled out INR 11.75 crore, has been predictable with his slower balls, conceding at 11.41 runs an over. Rahul Chahar has also leaked runs and their spin attack, which also includes Harpreet Brar, doesn’t quite have the pedigree or experience of Titans’ spin attack.
Bruised and battered from Mayank Yadav’s express pace, PBKS will face a completely different challenge at Motera today. The likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow and Jitesh Sharma – all true stroke makers – must adjust their game on the low and slow pitch in Ahmedabad.
Not just wily veteran Mohit Sharma, PBKS will also have to deal with the guile and variations of the Afghanistan spin duo of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed.
Bowling remains a concern for Punjab Kings
More than their batting, it is the bowling, especially in the dying stages, that has hurt the Kings’ campaign so far. Harshal Patel, the million dollar acquisition in the IPL 2024 auction, has looked off-coloured in the first three games, going at an economy rate of 11.41 runs per over while leg-spinner Rahul Chahar has leaked runs at an economy rate of 11.37.
Left-arm pacers Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran have also failed to make an impact with either the new or old ball. Liam Livingstone is nursing a hamstring niggle. His feared absence today will add to PBKS’ woes as the Englishman has been their potent weapon in death overs.
Titans aim to strengthen play-off chances
Barring the defeat against Chennai Super Kings, the Titans have looked pretty solid in this campaign. The 63-run defeat against the five-time champions is sandwiched between impressive wins against Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
While there is a scope for improvement in the batting department, GT’s bowling showed glimpses of their brilliance against a strong SRH batting unit. B Sai Sudarshan has been GT’s highest scorer in all three seasons. It might be a big positive for the Titans for a youngster to step up and it also says a lot about the under-performance of their star batters.
Shubman Gill managing his resources well
The challenge for Gill lies in the relentless scrutiny he faces, particularly from Gujarat’s passionate fans who are accustomed to the team’s high standards. With two finals appearances and one title in the first two years, their success rate exemplary. This season, especially with the mega auction looming next year, presents a big test for the 24-year-old Indian batting sensation.
With Gary Kirsten (batting coach and mentor) and Ashish Nehra (head coach) among the highly-organized support staff, Gill has the right environment and set-up to grow as a cricketer. “We as a franchise, as a support staff, are really excited to help him grow as a person more than as a captain. If he grows as a person, then he will definitely be a better captain going forward,” Nehra had said before the start of the season. Gill endorsed his coach’s advice. “No one is perfect. There is a lot to learn,” he had said.
A big knock certainly from the captain is round the corner. If he gets one, it could spell trouble from the Punjab, incidentally, Shubman Gill’s home state. With Sai Sudarshan and David Miller in good form, and Rahul Tewatia to follow, batting is not a worry. Bowling, of course, is never a concern for the Titans, what with Mohit, Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed taking care of 12 overs. Azmatullah Omarzai has managed to keep highly talented Josh Little out of the XI and Umesh Yadav’s experience is always handy for any side. The Titans side looks in sync.
It is not easy to overcome the loss of a leader, who had marshalled the team to two successive finals, including the title on the debut. But GT have moved on well from Hardik Pandya’s departure.
Shubman Gill has successfully led the Titans to two wins in three outings. The Punjab and India batter will be up against familiar foes as a number of PBKS players have been his teammates in Indian domestic cricket. Titans, however, will be hoping for their batting to click as a unit.
In the spotlight: Mohit Sharma and Kagiso Rabada
Vital Stats that matter
• Rashid has a strong head-to-head against Liam Livingstone in the IPL: three wickets in four innings for 26 runs in 19 balls.
• Kings might stick with Rabada because he has dismissed Wriddhiman Saha three times in four IPL innings and Gill two times in eight innings while keeping the Titans skipper to 43 off 42 balls.
• Gill has an excellent record against Kings in the IPL: 397 runs in ten innings at an average of 56.71 and strike rate of 138.81.
• Shikhar Dhawan is one fifty away from drawing level with Virat Kohli as the second-most prolific half-centurion in the history of the IPL.
Pitch and conditions
The Ahmedabad track was a two-paced one in the most-recent afternoon game between Titans and Sunrisers. The black-soil surface offered plenty of purchase to the slower bowlers before the conditions became better for batting later in the evening. A red-soil pitch might be used for this match. Given the 7.30pm IST start, it might be easier for the batters to hit through the line on Thursday.
Toss may not be such a big factor as the pitch looks full of runs. The dew, though, will be a big factor and it may not be surprise, if the captain winning the toss chooses to bat.
Head to Head PBKS vs GT.
GT 2 – 1 PBKS. The last outing between the sides was won by the Titans in Mohali last season. In three meetings between the two sides, GT have won 2 whereas Punjab have come out on top on the other occasion.
Team news and Impact Player strategy
Gujarat Titans
There’s no reason for Titans to mess with their winning combination unless they want to give Shahrukh Khan a franchise debut against his former side. Titans’ Impact Player Strategy has been fairly predictable with B Sai Sudarshan slotting in for one of the bowlers if they chase or vice-versa if they bowl first. The hosts have no injury worries as such although, as Mohit Sharma said, most players could be carrying niggles.
Punjab Kings
Kings have also been consistent with their Impact Player Strategy with Arshdeep Singh starting if they bowl first or Prabhsimran Singh starting if they bat first. Liam Livingstone could miss the game due to hamstring injury. The rest of the squad is free of fitness concerns
Probable team XI FOR Gujarat and Punjab
Gujarat Titans : Shubman Gill (C), Wriddhiman Saha (wk.), Sai Sudarshan, Azmatullah Omarzai, David Miller, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed, Umesh Yadav, Darshan Nalkande [Impact sub: Sai for Mohit Sharma if they bat first, or vice-versa]
Punjab Kings : Shikhar Dhawan (C), Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk.), Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Shashank Singh, Harshal Patel, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar [Impact sub: Arshdeep Singh for Prabhsimran if they bat first, or vice-versa]
Fantasy Predicted XI : Sam Curran, Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha, Jonny Bairstow, Shubman Gill, David Miller, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mohit Sharma, Arshdeep Singh , Noor Ahmed.
Punjab vs Gujarat Match Prediction
Gujarat Titans look set to register their third home win on the trot. The Shubman Gill-led side were clinical in their last game as well. Their batters are doing well, and the bowling unit has performed in the absence of Mohammed Shami. Punjab Kings (PBKS) are under pressure after losing their last two matches.