PBKS vs GT IPL 2023 Match Preview
(Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans)
Shikhar Dhawan leads Punjab Kings charge against Gujarat Titans, while GT looks to bounce back with Hardik Pandya's return.
PBKS - The captain of Punjab Kings cricket team, Shikhar Dhawan, is unhappy with the poor performance of the other players during the last game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Apart from Dhawan and Sam Curran, no one else was able to score more than 10 runs. They are expected to make some changes in the team for the upcoming match against Gujarat Titans. Dhawan has been in excellent form, scoring 225 runs in three games with a strike rate of 149.01, and has only been dismissed once. He has also scored two half-centuries in the three games. Dhawan has previously scored 97 runs against Gujarat Titans in two games, so he is expected to perform well. Prabhsimran has a good strike rate of 176.59, and Dhawan hopes that his opening partner will score big as he did in the last match. Bhanuka Rajpaksa is injured, so Matthew Short will continue to play at number three.
Jitesh Sharma, Sam Curran, and Sikandar Raza will bat in the middle order for Punjab Kings. Sharma was a promising player in the last season but is struggling to find form this year, having scored only 52 runs in three games at a strike rate of 144.44. Curran, who was the most expensive player bought by the team in IPL, is yet to perform well with the bat and has taken only one wicket in the last three games. However, the team is hoping that he will show his skills in the upcoming match.
Arshdeep Singh will lead the bowling attack for Punjab Kings, and he has taken six wickets so far with an economy rate of 8.60. Nathan Ellis has also impressed with five wickets. Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar will be the spinners for the team, but Chahar has only taken two wickets, while Brar is yet to take a wicket. Overall, Punjab Kings is heavily dependent on their batsmen to score big. Kagiso Rabada, who has taken six wickets in two matches against Gujarat Titans, will return to the team after missing the first three games.
GT - GT won their first two games of the IPL season, but they lost their third game in a rare and unusual way. Hardik Pandya missed that game, but he will be back as captain for the next game. GT will start the batting with Saha and Gill, but Saha hasn't been performing well. GT has done a good job of using their impact subs, with Sudarshan and Shankar producing good results. Rashid Khan leads GT's bowling attack and has taken eight wickets in three games, including a hat-trick in one game. GT has used only six bowlers in the tournament so far, with Shamy and Joseph taking 12 wickets between them. Yash Dayal might be replaced by Darshan Nalkande in the upcoming game.
Venue
The IS Bindra Stadium pitch is widely recognized as one of India's better pitches, offering a reasonable equilibrium between bat and ball. Typically, the pitch is beneficial for batting in the initial stages of a match, but as the game proceeds, it becomes more supportive of the spin bowlers. The stadium has witnessed many thrilling and high-scoring games over the years.
The statistics for T20Is show that in 9 games, the team batting first won 5 times, while the team batting second won 4 times. However, the trend is quite different in the IPL.
In the last 15 IPL games played at this venue, the team batting second has successfully chased the target on 9 occasions, which is a significant deviation from the T20I stats. Therefore, it is suggested that the team winning the toss should opt to bowl first.
Favours :
- In the early overs of the game, the pitch can be good for batsmen as the ball comes onto the bat easily. But In the later stages of the game, the pitch at tends to help spinners as it wears out quickly.
- The team winning the toss at this venue should opt to bowl first.
Average 1st Inning score
Average 1st innings score : 190 runs.
Team News
Liam Livingstone has arrived in Mohali after a long wait and has started practicing at the nets. This will be his first official cricket match since he injured his knee on Test debut in Pakistan in December, and if he plays, he will replace Matt Short in the playing XI. Although there may be a temptation to include Kagiso Rabada in the team, Nathan Ellis has performed well, and if the Punjab Kings bat first, they may consider using one of them as an Impact Player.
In the previous game, Hardik Pandya was absent due to illness, but he is expected to be available for this match.
Head to Head
Expected Playing XI & Batting order
Punjab Kings (PBKS) Possible Playing 11
1 Prabhsimran Singh, 2 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 4 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Sam Curran, 7 M Shahrukh Khan, 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Rahul Chahar, 11 Arshdeep Singh.
Gujarat Titans (GT) Possible Playing 11
1 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Sai Sudharsan, 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 Vijay Shankar, 6 David Miller, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 R Sai Kishore
- Shikhar Dhawan has never been dismissed by Mohammed Shami, despite the latter's strike rate of 149 against him.
- The top three batsmen of the Kings have contributed 70.5% to their team's total, which is the second-highest contribution by any team's top three in this IPL season, with the Royal Challengers Bangalore holding the top position.
- Shubman Gill has scored 330 runs in 9 innings against PBKS, maintaining a strike rate of 139.24 and an average of 55. He has also recorded four half-centuries and achieved his highest IPL score of 96 during this period.
- Against Rashid Khan, Livingstone has scored 119 runs off 69 balls with an average of 30 and a strike rate of 173.
- Kagiso Rabada has taken 99 wickets in 63 IPL matches. The record for the fastest player to reach 100 IPL wickets is held by Lasith Malinga, who achieved this feat in 70 matches.
Selections for Fantasy cricket (Dream 11)
- David Miller - With a wealth of experience to rely on, David Miller is considered to be one of the best finishers in cricket. He had an exceptional season in the previous edition of the tournament, scoring more than 400 runs. In the match against Delhi Capitals (DC) last week, he played a decent knock of 31 runs off 16 balls.
- Sam Curran - He has demonstrated his potential with both bat and ball. He has scored 49 runs and taken a wicket. While he is expected to play a significant role as a bowler, his batting skills also make him a valuable asset to the team. Recommended for : CAPTAIN
- Shubman Gill - He has accumulated 116 runs in the IPL so far. His average stands at 38.67, and he has also exhibited a strike rate of over 130, showing his attacking intent. Gill is an excellent player of both pace and spin, making him a top choice for your PBKS vs GT Dream11 prediction team.
- Prabhsimran Singh - He has been a standout young player, amassing 83 runs. Despite not scoring in the last match against the Sunrisers, he has a strike rate of 176.60 while opening the innings.
- Hardik Pandya - After missing the previous game, Hardik Pandya is expected to return to the Gujarat Titans side. Despite only scoring 13 runs in two matches, he is considered one of the top all-rounders in the world. With an IPL batting strike rate of 146.91 and his all-round skills, Hardik is a top pick for your PBKS vs GT Dream11 prediction team. Recommended for : VICE CAPTAIN
- Arshdeep Singh - He has been impressive with his bowling performance, having taken six wickets at an average of 14.33. His consistent performances have held him in good stead.
- Rashid Khan - He has picked up eight wickets for the Gujarat Titans, making him one of their top performers. Additionally, the Afghan cricketer has shown his prowess with the bat, scoring 10 runs off three balls in his only batting appearance.
Prediction for Match result
Punjab Kings may win the match.
In conclusion, the upcoming match between Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans promises to be an exciting encounter. With both teams boasting some exceptional talent, the game is expected to be closely contested. While Punjab Kings will be looking to rectify their batting woes, Gujarat Titans will be keen on getting back to winning ways after their unexpected loss in the previous game. The IS Bindra Stadium pitch is known to be conducive to batting in the early overs and spin bowling later on, making the toss an important factor in the game. With the return of some key players and the inclusion of potential impact subs, both teams will be looking to put their best foot forward in the game.