Titans finished in 8th place in 2024 after winning the title in 2022 and finishing as runners-up in 2023 under Hardik Pandya
Photo: Gujarat Titans/X
Shubman Gill will look to put aside the ghosts of last season as he leads his team against Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings, who will bat first in their IPL clash on Tuesday.
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Titans finished in 8th place in 2024 after winning the title in 2022 and finishing as runners-up in 2023 under Hardik Pandya.
GT's batting strength will rely on a solid start from Gill and England's wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler, who will be looking to bounce back from recent poor form.
The middle-order will be in the hands of West Indian Sherfane Rutherford, Sai Sudharsan, and Masood Shahrukh Khan, with all-rounders Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, and Mahipal Lomror expected to contribute.
On the bowling front, Mohammed Siraj will look to make a big impact and return to the national reckoning after missing out of the Champions Trophy, while Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, South African Gerald Coetzee, and veteran Ishant Sharma will provide added firepower to GT's pace attack.
GT's spin department will be led by Rashid Khan with left-arm spinner Sai Kishore providing valuable support.
On the other hand, Iyer, who led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title last year, four years after guiding Delhi Capitals to the 2020 IPL final, now faces the challenge of ending Punjab's 18-year-long wait for their maiden IPL title.
The Punjab team reached the semifinals in 2018 and made it to the final once in 2014, but despite numerous squad changes and leadership shifts, they have failed to break into the top 5 in the last four editions, even after rebranding to Punjab Kings from Kings XI Punjab.
However, with Iyer at the helm, Punjab has a captain with proven leadership credentials. He will also reunite with coach Ricky Ponting at Punjab, providing the ideal platform to make a fresh start.
Iyer finished as India's top run-scorer in the Champions Trophy with 243 runs in five games, while Gill also struck a century in the opening match against Bangladesh and contributed significantly to India's triumph.
Teams at a glance
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, R Sai Kishore, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
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.
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