With four points each so far in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Gujarat Titans will now take each other on in Match 16, at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Friday night. The Kings have won two of their their three games, while the Titans have had a dream IPL debut so far: they are the only unbeaten side in this edition so far.
With a power-packed batting line-up, Punjab have utilised the Powerplay overs brilliantly despite captain Mayank Agarwal's ordinary run. Bhanuka Rajapaksa, the big-hitting left-hander from Sri Lanka, deserves a chunk of the credit for this, with scores of 43 (22), 31 (9) and 9 (5) from No. 3 – a season good enough to keep even Jonny Bairstow out of the XI. In the last match, Liam Livingstone too showcased a glimpse of his abilities. And these power-hitters will enjoy the tiny boundaries at the Brabourne Stadium.
Among bowlers, Rahul Chahar has picked up vital wickets, but Kagiso Rabada, their premier fast bowler, is yet to have a significant impact. In this game at a high-scoring venue, Punjab will require their spearhead to come good.
Gujarat, meanwhile, are coming off a four-day gap. Led by Hardik Pandya, they have put on an excellent all-round show. Their pace attack has had a big say in both their wins, and they will want to explore the little wobbliness in the Punjab top-order to their advantage.
Among spinners, Rashid Khan needs to pull up his socks. He has been a bit off-colour this season. However, he loves playing against Punjab: in 10 outings against them, he has picked up 18 wickets.
With bat, Shubman Gill was in phenomenal touch in the last game, but Gujarat will like seniors like Matthew Wade, David Miller and Pandya to contribute more than what they have done so far.
Likely XIs
Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Odean Smith, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Vaibhav Arora, Arshdeep Singh
Gujarat Titans: Matthew Wade (wk), Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Abhinav Manohar, Rashid Khan, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Aaron, Mohammed Shami
Fantasy tips
- Brabourne is a high-scoring venue, so pack your fantasy team with top-order batters from both teams.
- The new ball swings a little bit upfront here. Back the likes of Shami for early wickets.
- Among spinners, back the in-form Chahar ahead of Rashid Khan.
Where to watch
Live streaming of Match 16 of IPL 2022 between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Gujarat Titans (GT) will start at 7.30 PM IST on April 8. You can watch the match on the Star Sports Network and Hotstar.