Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be up against Gujarat Titans (GT) in their first game of IPL 2025. The game is scheduled to take place on Tuesday (March 25) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Punjab Kings will be starting a new journey this season with a new captain and new head coach in place. They have completely overhauled their squad as well as they desperately seek their first-ever IPL title. After Ricky Ponting was named the head coach of the side, PBKS appointed Shreyas Iyer as their captain.
The franchise will be hoping that the change in leadership changes their fortunes too. Punjab Kings finished at the ninth spot last season and will have to improve their performance by leaps and bounds to make the cut for at least the playoffs this season.
For the time being, their first focus will be to start the campaign under a new captain with a win. So, as Punjab Kings gear up for their opening game of the season, we are taking a look at PBKS Playing 11 for their game against GT.
Punjab Kings Playing 11 vs Gujarat Titans- IPL 2025, Match 5:
Openers: Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Priyansh Arya
Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya are expected to be the new opening combination of the Punjab Kings Playing 11 for IPL 2025. Prabhsimran had a good season with the last year and the onus will be on him to give his team a good start.
The right-handed batsman has played 34 IPL games so far, scoring 756 runs with the help of a century and three fifties. On the other hand, Arya is yet to play in the IPL but is highly-rated for his explosive batting. After his exploits in the Delhi Premier League, Punjab Kings secured his services for INR 3.8 crore.
Arya had finished the tournament as the highest run-scorer, scoring 608 runs in 10 innings while opening the innings. During the same tournament, he also hit six sixes in an over. Arya will now be looking to show his worth in the IPL as well.
Middle-order batsmen and allrounders: Shreyas Iyer (C), Glenn Maxwell, Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis
Captain Shreyas Iyer will be one of the most important batsmen in the Punjab Kings lineup. With form on his side, Iyer will be keen to lead from the front and further enhance his reputation as a captain. After guiding Kolkata Knight Riders to the trophy last year, Iyer will be eyeing a similar impact with the Punjab-based outfit too.
Iyer is coming to the IPL after a brilliant campaign with the bat in the Champions Trophy. He was one of the standout performers for the victorious Indian team, scoring 243 runs in 5 games. Only Rachin Ravindra scored more runs than him in the tournament.
Glenn Maxwell is back with PBKS and he will be looking to make his comeback a memorable one. More than a decade ago, it was his prowess with the bat that helped PBKS qualify for their first-ever final. It was also the season that truly announced Maxwell’s arrival in the IPL. The Australia star would be eyeing a similar impact this season too.
The other middle-order option in the PBKS Playing 11 is set to be Shashank Singh, one of the very few positives for PBKS in an otherwise disappointing last season. Shashank had a breakthrough season with the bat and PBKS eventually decided to retain him. He will be looking to prove that the season was not fluke by delivering with the bat once again.
Apart from Maxwell, his compatriot Marcus Stoinis is set to be another allrounder in the PBKS Playing 11. Stoinis has also played for PBKS in the past and will look to live up to the expectations. So far, he has played 96 IPL matches and has scored 1866 with the help of a century and nine fifties. He has also taken 43 wickets.
Bowlers: Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
The PBKS Playing 11 is likely to have two frontline pacers and two spinners. Arshdeep Singh is set to lead the pace attack with South Africa’s Marco Jansen as his bowling partner. Stoinis is another fast-bowling option in the PBKS Playing 11.
On the other hand, Yuzvendra Chahal and Harpreet Brar are expected to be the two spinners in the team. Maxwell is also a good spin bowling option for the Punjab-based outfit.
