Gujarat Titans (GT) won the toss and opted to bowl first against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their IPL 2025 showdown at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
GT skipper Shubman Gill justified the decision, emphasizing the impact of dew: “It is a good cricketing wicket. There is some dew here… Big targets can be chased down. Preparation has been amazing. We have our bases covered.” He also highlighted GT’s well-rounded bowling attack, featuring four pacers and two spinners.
PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer admitted he would have preferred to chase but embraced the challenge: “I would have loved to bowl. I am always someone who loves a chase… You need unity and synergy in the team. We have got a lot of all-rounders… Since we will be batting first, we have only one spinner and three seamers.”
Batting first, Punjab Kings put up an imposing total of 217/5 in 18.2 overs, thanks to a blistering half-century by Shreyas Iyer. With key contributions from their star-studded lineup, PBKS has set a daunting target for GT under the Ahmedabad lights.
Playing XIs:
Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Suryansh Shedge, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Impact Subs: Nehal Wadhera, Praveen Dubey, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod.
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Impact Subs: Sherfane Rutherford, Glenn Phillips, Ishant Sharma, Anuj Rawat, Washington Sundar.
With a high-scoring chase ahead, all eyes are now on Gujarat Titans as they prepare to counter Punjab’s mammoth total. Will they rise to the challenge? Stay tuned for live updates!