If every player on a team is removed and replaced, will it, still, remain the same ship team? Punjab Kings will definitely not hope so. It did not end well for them in the last season. Or the season before that. Or the season before that. In fact, barring two editions, both over a decade ago, where they cracked into the top four, they have been, without any exaggeration, the worst of the lot.
A ninth-place finish last time triggered them to get rid of all but two of their players and rebuild the side with a winning formula. And not just any winning formula, a potpourri of winners from here and there. They got last season’s winners, Kolkata Knight Rider’s (KKR) captain, Shreyas Iyer on board. They roped Washington Freedom’s 2024 title-winning coach, Ricky Ponting in. If it worked for some other team, it sure will work for them. But will it?
Gujarat Titans, on the other hand, have been on a downward spiral too, though not as steep. They won the 2022 season, ended as the runner-up in 2023, and dropped all the way to eighth place last year. To many, they simply lacked charisma in the previous season. But they have not made a lot of changes to counter that this year either.
Team Overview:
With the highest purse going into the auction, they packed the team with marquee names like Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, and a handful of all-rounders from across the world, including Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, and Aaron Hardie. They RTM-ed Arshdeep Singh and bought Yuzvendra Chahal during the auction back in November, adding oomph to their bowling attack. Ponting has been full of praise for Priyansh Arya’s talent and he seems like a certain starter at one of the top positions. But who will partner him to open the innings: Prabhsimran Singh or Josh Inglis?
One of the reasons why Gujarat Titans did what they did last season was the domino effect brought on by Shubman Gill’s humdrum outings. Although he managed to end the tournament with respectable numbers, he was only a shadow of his 2023 self. Add to that the baggage of a crumbly middle-order who managed to score at a dull average of just 20. While the Titans have tried to acquire mojo by roping in Jos Buttler at the top, their middle order continues to be as flimsy as it was in 2024. Beyond Gill, Buttler, and Sai Sudharsan, they don’t have many fail-safe run-scorers, which could hurt them big time, especially when quick runs will be needed late in the innings.
GT would be pretty satisfied with how much value for money their fast bowling attack is likely to bring. Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, and Prasidh Krishna are all new inductees in the pace-bowling department and could do wonders for the side.
Head-to-Head Matches:
Having played only three seasons so far, GT do not have dozens of games under their belt. Similarly, they have only faced PBKS in five matches. Of those, the Titans won three, while the Kings got the better of them in two.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Ahmedabad has not hosted many T20 games beyond the IPL in the past two years, with the last international T20 staged there in February 2023. Despite its reputation as a high-scoring venue, it did not always dish out run-fests in the league games. In fact, last season, the venue ranked fifth from the bottom in terms of average runs per over scored. With the weather set to stay clear, a balance between bat and ball, if not slightly inclined toward the former, can be expected in Ahmedabad.
Prediction:
Both teams have their own demons to battle, but Punjab Kings have all the right screws to get cracking with a win in the tournament.
Where to Watch:
India: Star Sports Network, JioHotstar
UK: Sky Sports, SkyGo
USA: Willow TV
Australia: Kayo TV, FoxTel Go
Bangladesh: T Sports, Toffee app
New Zealand: Sky Sports NZ
Afghanistan: ATN
South Africa: SuperSport
Sri Lanka: Dialog
MENA: Cricbuzz
