On March 25, the Gujarat Titans (GT) will play the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium to begin their IPL 2025 campaign.
Match Preview:
GT struggled and finished eighth last season after winning the title in 2022. Shubman Gill became captain after Hardik Pandya joined the Mumbai Indians. In 14 games, the two-time finalists won five and drew two under his direction. A victory on Tuesday might set the tone for Gill’s team’s season, and he will be keen to lead them back to the playoffs.
All eyes will be on Jos Buttler. Jos Buttler’s T20 credentials are still as strong as ever, despite his recent struggles as England’s white-ball captain. He has had a remarkable rate of about 150 and an average of almost 40 since the beginning of 2024.
Interestingly, he was the only hitter in the 2024 Indian Premier League to score two hundreds. Buttler would be the ideal pick to begin for the Gujarat Titans, who require explosive and reliable starts, particularly given the absence of important middle-order players.
In contrast, PBKS had a similar run the previous season, finishing ninth with five victories and nine defeats in 14 games. They made a big splash in the mega-auction by acquiring Shreyas Iyer, the captain of the 2024 IPL-winning side, in an attempt to turn their fortunes around. Punjab hopes to make it to their first IPL final since 2014 with this significant arrival.
PBKS winning chances may be bolstered by the comeback of Glenn Maxwell. He scored 552 runs at a scorching strike rate of 187.75 in his first season with them in 2014, ranking third in the league in terms of runs scored.
However, he only managed 108 runs in 11 innings without hitting a single six in his disappointing final season with PBKS in 2020. He comes this time in excellent form, having just finished a fantastic BBL season with the Melbourne Stars, in which he amassed 325 runs with a strike rate of 186.78 and an average of 54.16. He will be relied upon by PBKS to duplicate that achievement.
Pitch and weather report:
Because of its five layers of soil, which guarantee a constant bounce and let hitters play freely, the Narendra Modi Stadium is known as a batter’s paradise. However, Ahmedabad’s circumstances frequently make it difficult for spinners to flourish.
The weather for Ahmedabad on March 25 is expected to be clear with daytime highs of 39°C and nighttime lows of 23°C. Light winds of no more than 8 km/h are predicted, while humidity levels will range from 23% to 32%.
Probable Playing XI:
Gujarat Titans (probable): 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Sai Sudharsan, 4 Glenn Phillips, 5 Shahrukh Khan, 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 R Sai Kishore, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Mohammed Siraj, 12 Prasidh Krishna.
Punjab Kings (probable): 1 Prabhsimran Singh, 2 Josh Inglis (wk), 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Nehal Wadhera, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Shashank Singh, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Harpreet Brar, 10 Vijaykumar Vyshak, 11 Arshdeep Singh, 12 Yuzvendra Chahal.
Head-to-head record:
In the IPL, Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings have faced one another five times. With three victories, GT leads the field, while PBKS has won twice.
Prediction:
Given GT has more strong top-order and good new bowling, they are favourites to win the upcoming encounter.
Where to Watch:
India: Star Sports Network, JioHotstar
Australia: Kayo TV, FoxTel Go
Bangladesh: T Sports, Toffee app
New Zealand: Sky Sports NZ
South Africa: SuperSport
Sri Lanka: Dialog
UK: Sky Sports, SkyGo
USA: Willow TV
Afghanistan: ATN
MENA: Cricbuzz
