Big image: Shreyas and Gill again within the T20 highlight
Iyer scored 604 runs at a strike charge of 175 in IPL 2025. Gill amassed 650 at 155.87. And but they spent the time between then and now in T20 wilderness.
Gill was pushed out of India’s T20I plans by faster scorers in Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, and even Ishan Kishan who got here in from the chilly. He performed 15 T20Is after IPL 2025 however struggled for kind, failing to attain a single half-century. Iyer has not performed a single T20 sport because the IPL 2025 closing, attributable to accidents and lack of alternative in India’s center order.
Key query
Team information
Punjab Kings (possible): 1 Priyansh Arya, 2 Prabhsimran Singh (wk), 3 Cooper Connolly, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Nehal Wadhera, 7 Shashank Singh, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Xavier Bartlett/Ben Dwarshuis/Azmatullah Omarzai, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal, 12 Vijaykumar Vyshak
With Rashid Khan and Washington Sundar set to play, GT could lean in direction of a fourth quick bowler forward of R Sai Kishore, as New Chandigarh favours seam bowling. Ashok Sharma is an thrilling rookie who may get a glance in, whereas Arshad Khan gives selection as a left-armer.
Gujarat Titans (possible): 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 B Sai Sudharsan, 3 Jos Buttler (wk), 4 Washington Sundar, 5 Glenn Phillips, 6 M Shahrukh Khan, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Jason Holder/Kagiso Rabada, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Mohammed Siraj, 12 R Sai Kishore/Ashok Sharma/Arshad Khan
In the highlight: The two prime orders
Gill and Sai Sudharsan had 912 partnership runs in IPL 2025, making them the third pair to get 900 or extra runs in a season. While Gill completed with 650; Sai Sudharsan gained the Orange Cap with 759. Both batters struck at over 155 and have been instrumental in GT’s march to the playoffs. With GT nonetheless missing a gun middle-order batter, and with Jos Buttler struggling for kind, the workforce could possibly be reliant on their openers as soon as once more.
While not fairly as prolific as a pair, Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya performed an important position in PBKS’ run to the IPL closing. Their 532 partnership runs have been probably the most in a season by an uncapped opening pair, and each batters received greater than 450 runs at strike charges of 160 or extra. With the data that they’ve a powerful center order under them, they’ve the license to go laborious from the beginning. In 17 matches in IPL 2025, one among Prabhsimran and Arya crossed 40 in 15 of them, and PBKS ended up successful 11 video games.
The two units of openers have completely different approaches, dictated by their workforce constructions, however each have been been extremely impactful and will play an enormous position in deciding the sport on Tuesday.
Stats and trivia
- Shreyas Iyer could have had a stellar 12 months with PBKS in 2025, however his report at New Chandigarh is poor. In 5 video games there, he has scored simply 27 runs at a strike charge of 100 and a highest rating of 10.
- In IPL 2025, Prabhsimran confronted left-arm spin in 5 innings and received out 3 times, whereas hanging at solely 104.
- GT’s openers have contrasting data towards PBKS legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal. Gill solely strikes at 122 towards Chahal and has received out to him 3 times, whereas Sai Sudharsan has scored 40 runs off 17 balls towards him with out a dismissal.
Pitch and situations
Quotes
“Our level of cricket last year was good enough for us to finish on top of the table, but that doesn’t mean anything going into a new season. I talked a lot last year about this team that we put together as being different and a really daring style and brand of cricket, and we’ve got to start that all over again”
Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting
“Ricky Ponting was one of the hardest working cricketers that ever came across in my time. And Sai Sudharsan would probably be a multiple of two as to what Ricky ever did.”
Gujarat Titans batting coach Matthew Hayden on the degrees of preparation of recent cricketers.
Next three fixtures
Punjab Kings
April 3: vs Chennai Super Kings in Chennai
April 6: vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata
April 11: vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in New Chandigarh
Gujarat Titans
April 4: vs Rajasthan Royals in Ahmedabad
April 8: vs Delhi Capitals in New Delhi
April 12: vs Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow
Abhimanyu Bose is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo
