Gujarat Titans Vs Punjab Kings, IPL 2025: Three Key Player Battles To Watch Out For

Gujarat Titans (GT) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) are set to face off in their opening match and the fifth fixture of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Tuesday, March 25, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. (Schedule | Teams | Points Table)

GT, the 2022 IPL champions, endured a disappointing season last year, finishing eighth in the standings with only five wins from 14 matches. Under the leadership of Shubman Gill, they will be keen to bounce back and make a strong push for the playoffs.

On the other hand, Punjab Kings are still chasing their elusive maiden IPL trophy. Despite reaching the final in 2014, PBKS have struggled to make a significant impact, securing a playoff spot only twice since the league라이브 바카라 inception in 2008. To turn their fortunes around, the franchise underwent a major overhaul, making a bold statement at the auction by acquiring last season라이브 바카라 title-winning KKR captain, Shreyas Iyer, for a record-breaking Rs 26.75 crore.

Full Squads:

Gujarat Titans: Jos Buttler, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Glenn Phillips, Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Mahipal Lomror, Karim Janat, Kulwant Khejroliya, Anuj Rawat, Gerald Coetzee, Sherfane Rutherford, Manav Suthar, Kumar Kushagra, Arshad Khan, Gurnoor Brar, Nishant Sindhu

Punjab Kings: Josh Inglis, Shreyas Iyer, Prabhsimran Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Praveen Dubey, Lockie Ferguson, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Yash Thakur, Aaron Hardie, Azmatullah Omarzai, Kuldeep Sen, Priyansh Arya, Suryansh Shedge, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash

Gujarat Titans vs Punjab Kings: Key Battles

Below is a list of the three key player battles that could decide which way the result swings.

1. Marcus Stoinis vs Rashid Khan

Punjab Kings’ explosive all-rounder Marcus Stoinis will play a crucial role in the middle overs, but he faces a tough challenge in Rashid Khan. The Afghan superstar is among the best T20 bowlers in the world and has a strong record against Stoinis. In all T20s, Rashid has dismissed the Australian four times, restricting him to just 51 runs off 44 balls at a strike rate of 115. Stoinis will need to find a way to counter Rashid라이브 바카라 sharp googlies and variations if he hopes to take PBKS past the finishing line.

2. Shubman Gill vs Arshdeep Singh

GT skipper Shubman Gill has been a dominant force against PBKS, boasting an average of 65.12 against them—the highest among batters with at least 500 runs against the franchise. However, Punjab라이브 바카라 pace spearhead Arshdeep Singh has the ability to challenge him, especially with his ability to swing the new ball. Arshdeep has dismissed Gill once in their eight IPL meetings so far and picked up seven powerplay wickets in IPL 2024.

3. Shreyas Iyer vs Kagiso Rabada

Shreyas Iyer and Kagiso Rabada were once teammates at Delhi Capitals, but now, they find themselves on opposite sides. While Rabada has troubled Iyer with his short-ball strategy in the past, the PBKS skipper has managed to keep his wicket intact against the Proteas pacer in T20s. Across nine face-offs, Iyer has scored just 21 runs off Rabada in seven innings at a low strike rate of 91.30. With both players now representing different franchises, this contest will be one to watch as Rabada looks to finally break Iyer라이브 바카라 resilience.