IPL 2025: GT vs PBKS – Will Shubman Gill’s Army lead past Shreyas Iyer’s men in the Encounter?
Gujarat Titans will face Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 25, Tuesday.
This exciting match promises to be a clash of two dynamic teams, with Shubman Gill leading the Titans while the former captain of defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, Shreyas Iyer taking charge for Punjab Kings this time.
In their head-to-head encounters so far, Gujarat and Punjab have faced each other in 5 matches in IPL. Out of these 5 games, Gujarat have won 3 whereas Punjab have come out victorious on 2 occasions.
The highest score for GT has been 199, while for Punjab it was 200. Since 2022, Titans have won one game against Punjab in every season, clinching three victories in three different IPL editions.
GT’s predicted XI:
Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, Mahipal Lomror, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj
Impact Players: Anuj Rawat, R Sai Kishore, Shahrukh Khan
PBKS predicted XI:
Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer, Glenn Maxwell, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh
Impact Players: Nehal Wadhera, Musheer Khan, Kuldeep Sen
Gujarat Titans had a fairytale start in IPL, lifting the coveted title in the very first season in 2022. They finished as runners-up the following year in 2023.
However, 2024 edition was a disappointing season as they finished eighth on the points table. Under the captaincy of their retained core player Shubman Gill, the side is looking to make a strong comeback. The addition of Jos Buttler, Mohammed Siraj, and Kagiso Rabada as new players this year has strengthened their squad, with Rashid Khan also in the fray.
However, the over-reliance on top-order batters Gill, Buttler, and Sai Sudharsan could be a concern.
On the contrary side, Punjab Kings haven’t qualified for playoffs since a long time now, from 2014. With a revamped and new squad, Shreyas Iyer as the captain and Ricky Ponting as the head coach, the team looks to perform with renewed hope and perspective.
With Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, Punjab Kings have acquired some key players. Their bowling attack features Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson, and Yuzvendra Chahal, who could very well restrict Gujarat’s batting order.
The Narendra Modi Stadium is known to be a batting paradise, often producing high-scoring encounters. With an average first-innings total of around 200, the surface has a good bounce.
With clear skies in the forecast, it is expected to be a cracker of a game. The team bowling first has higher chances of winning the game, as per the previous records. It will be enticing to see how both the teams flair up against each other to create fireworks.
By: Tulika Agarwal
