IPL 2023 | PK vs GT | 18th Match, 13th April, 7:30 PM | Match Preview

Series: Indian Premier League 2023

Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans, 18th Match 13th April evening seven thirty PM

Venue:Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali

After an enthralling game against Kolkata Knight Riders, Gujrat Titans will travel to Punjab to play their next game against Punjab Kings. Both teams have 4 points each after winning 2 of their 3 games.
But the respective losses in their last game have shown a mirror to both teams on an individual level.

Punjab Kings had an encounter with Sunrisers Hyderabad. Batting first, the PBKS batting lineup collapsed at regular intervals. Shikhar Dhawan was the lone warrior whose unbeaten 99 took PBKS to 143 for the loss of 9 wickets.
PPBKS pacers put some early pressure on the struggling SRH by restricting them to 45 for losing 2 wickets in 9 overs. But Rahul Tripathi (74*) and Aiden Markram (37*) put up a partnership of 100 runs
to hand the first loss to PBKS by 8 wickets. Arshdeep Singh and Rahul Chahar took a wicket each.

Gujrat Titans played the game of the IPL against KKR. Batting first, Gujrat Titans scored 204 runs. First, Sai Sudarshan (53) and then the impact sub, Vijay Shankar, scored 63 off just 24 deliveries.
GT bowlers took out the openers in the first four overs. But Venkatesh Iyer (83) and Nitish Rana (45) kept KKR in the game. Rashid Khan took a hat-trick at a crucial moment. With 28 runs needed in the last 5 balls,
KKR batter Rinku Singh scored 5 sixes in a row to take the match away from the Titan’s hands. This was GT’s first loss after winning the first two games.

Both themes have won one game against each other in the last IPL. In the first game, GT chased down a target of 190 with 6 wickets in hand. Shubman Gill scored 96 runs which were followed by Rahul Tewatia’s
last two ball sixes. In the return game, Punjab Kings took revenge by chasing 144 runs in just 16 overs. Kagiso Rabada was named man of the match for his 4 wickets.

TEAMS PREVIEW
Punjab Kings Preview
Skipper Shikhar Dhawan must be fuming over the lack of support from the batting unit in the game against SRH. Except for him and Sam Curran, no other batter could cross the two-digit figure.
Few changes are expected against GT. The orange cap holder, Dhawan, has scored 225 runs in three games at a strike rate of 149.01. He has been out just once while hitting two half-centuries in the three outings.
Shikhar has 97 runs against GT in 2 games. He will be the batter to watch out for from PBKS camp. Prabhsimran is hitting at a strike rate of 176.59. Dhawan will expect his opening partner to convert his
innings into a big one as he scored against Rajasthan Royals. PBKS is missing Bhanuka Rajpaksa due to an injury. Matthew Short, who replaced Rajpaksa, will continue to play at number three.

Jitesh Sharma, Sam Curran, and Sikandar Raza will lead the middle order for Punjab Kings. Sharma was the find from the PBKS in the last season. But the wicketkeeper is struggling to find his form.
In three games, he has scored 52 runs at a strike rate of 144.44. IPL’s most expensive buy, Curran, is yet to produce the result for Punjab Kings. The all-rounder has scored 49 runs with the bat and has taken
just a wicket in 10 overs of three games. Hopefully, he will show his x factor against GT.

Arshdeep Singh will lead the PBKS bowling attack. The Indian international has taken 6 wickets so far at an economy of 8.60. He will be teamed up with Nathan Ellis, who has impressed everyone with 5 wickets.
PBKS has preferred Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar as the spinners. But Chahar has taken only 2 wickets, while Brar is yet to open his account. Overall, the PBKS is dependent on their batting unit to score big.
Kagiso Rabada will return to the team after missing the first three games. Rabada has taken 6 wickets in 2 matches against GT.

Gujarat Titans Preview
After dominating the run chase in the first two games, GT finally suffered a loss. But it was once in a decade kind of a game. Hardik Pandya missed the third game against KKR. He will be returning to take the role of the skipper.
GT will open with Saha and Gill. Gill has been improving in this format day by day. The opener has scored 116 runs at a strike rate of 145 this season. Unfortunately, Saha is not able to provide the start GT is looking for.

Hands down, GT has used the impact subs well than any other team in the IPL. Sai Sudarshan and Vajay Shankar have produced results for GT as impact Subs. Sudarshan is the leading run-scorer in GT.
He has 137 runs with two half-centuries at a strike rate of 133. On the other hand, Vijay Shankar scored an impressive knock of 63* in just 24 deliveries, hitting 5 sixes. The return of Hardik Pandya might
hamper his chances, but he will be used as an impact sub for upcoming games.

Rashid Khan will lead the bowling attack for GT. Rashid took a hat-trick against KKR and has already taken 8 wickets in 3 games. Seeing GT lose against KKR after Rashid’s hat trick was agony.
In 3 games, GT has used just 6 bowlers. Mohammad Shamy and Azarri Joseph will threaten the PBKS camp as the duo has taken 12 wickets in 3 games. Yash Dayal might be rested after getting hit 31 runs in the final
over of the game. Darshan Nalkande can take his place.

Pitch Report
The 18th T20 of the IPL 2023 will be played at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium on 13th April from 7:30 pm. The venue holds a capacity of 30000 spectators and has hosted 14 Tests, 25 ODIs & 9 T20Is so far.
India has scored 211 runs (highest total) against Sri Lanka here. the stadium has been known to offer a fair balance between bat and ball. The pitch is generally good for batting in the early stages of a match, but as the game progresses, it tends to assist the spin bowlers more.
Overall, the IS Bindra Stadium pitch is considered one of India’s better pitches, and it has hosted many high-scoring and exciting matches over the years.

key players GUJRAT: Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, Rashid Khan , Mohammed Shami

key players PUNJAB: Shikhar Dhawan, Sam Curran, Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh

Prediction: We predict that Gujrat Titans will defeat Punjab Kings.

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