After facing the wrath of Kolkata Knight Riders’ Rinku Singh in their previous match, Gujarat Titans are all set to face Punjab Kings in their next IPL 2023 clash on Thursday in Mohali. Regular skipper Hardik Pandya had missed out on the match against KKR as he was unwell and his absence, spinner Rashid Khan took over the captaincy. KKR were chasing 205 and needed 29 off the last over, when Rinku Singh smashed five sixes off Yash Dayal and took his side a to a three-wicket win.
GT had several heroes on that electrifying night, including young Sai Sudarshan, Vijay Shankar and the hat-trick man from Afghanistan Rashid Khan, who led the side in place of unwell Hardik Pandya. As Hardik will be returning back to the side, the team is expected to make few changes.
GT, currently fourth on the table with four points from three games, still have a great chance to top the chart, but for that they will have to collectively come together against PBKS, who are fast emerging as one of the most difficult sides to surmount.
GT would be wary of Dhawan’s form and Hardik would know all too well how the veteran Delhi cricketer would be itching to once again prove himself. This could well be a contest of one-upmanship between Dhawan and Shubman Gill, with the former still wanting to prove himself and be in contention for a place in the India squad for the ODI World Cup at home later this year.
The way Dhawan and young opening partner Prabhsimran Singh have blasted off in powerplays gives an indication that they are unlikely to alter their strategy against GT, who have bowlers of the calibre of Mohammed Shami, Hardik and Rashid, to name a few.
Here’s what we think can be GT’s Playing XI:
GT’s Predicted XI against PBKS: Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Joshua Little
(With PTI Inputs)
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