Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Gujarat Titans (GT) will be locking horns against each other in the fifth game of IPL 2025. The GT vs PBKS game will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday (March 25).
Both sides failed to make the cut for the playoffs last season. For GT, it was the first time in their three-year IPL journey that they could not qualify for the playoffs. After winning the tournament in 2022 and finishing runners-up in 2023, the Gujarat-based outfit could only finish at the eighth spot in 2024.
For PBKS, it was yet another season of disappointment as they once again failed to end their long wait for a maiden IPL trophy. With only five wins from 14 league games, the Punjab-based outfit finished their campaign last season at the ninth spot.
GT vs PBKS Match Preview- IPL 2025, Match 5:
GT vs PBKS, Date and Venue:
The upcoming GT vs PBKS match will be played on Tuesday (March 25) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The match is scheduled to be played from 7:30 PM IST.
Squads:
Gujarat Titans:
Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler, B. Sai Sudharshan, Shahrukh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Nishant Sindhu, Mahipal Lomror, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Manav Suthar, Washington Sundar, Gerald Coetzee, Mohmmad Arshad Khan, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Sherfane Rutherford, R. Sai Kishore, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Glenn Phillips, Kareem Janat, Kulwant Khejroliya
Punjab Kings:
Shreyas Iyer (c), Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Harpreet Brar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Marco Jansen, Josh Inglis, Lockie Ferguson, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Pannu, Kuldeep Sen, Priyansh Arya, Aaron Hardie, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Xavier Bartlett, Pyla Avinash, Pravin Dubey, Nehal Wadhera
GT vs PBKS key battles:
Jos Buttler vs Arshdeep Singh:
The battle between Jos Buttler and Arshdeep Singh will be a key battle and has the potential to set the tone for the remainder of the innings. Buttler is one of the best white-ball openers in the world and will be keen to start his journey with GT on a good note.
The England star could very well take the game away from PBKS. The Punjab-based outfit will be hoping that Buttler does not get the time to settle and will be relying on their pace spearhead Arshdeep Singh for the same. Arshdeep is the reigning ICC T20I Player of the Year and will be keen to deliver for his side.
Shubman Gill vs Marco Jansen:
Captain Shubman Gill will be keen to lead his side from the front. He made his captaincy debut for GT last year and failed to take the team to the playoffs. Gill will be keen to turn things around this season and will be looking to seal at least a playoff spot for his team.
For the time being, his focus will be on winning the game against PBKS and the onus will be on him to give his team a good start with the bat. On the other hand, PBKS will be relying on Marco Jansen to ensure that Gill does not score big. Jansen can trouble Gill with his pace and bounce and will be keen to take his wicket.
Shreyas Iyer vs Kagiso Rabada:
This is another battle that could decide the outcome of the game between GT and PBKS. After leading Kolkata Knight Riders to the title last season, Shreyas Iyer will be keen to make the same impact for PBKS as well. He will be looking to start his captaincy journey with the Punjab-based outfit on a good note.
Iyer is in good form at the moment. He was India’s highest run-scorer in their victorious Champions Trophy campaign. Iyer will be a big threat for GT and they will be hoping that their star pacer Kagiso Rabada does not let the PBKS skipper score big.
GT vs PBKS Key Players:
GT – Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, Sai Sudharshan, Rashid Khan, and Kagiso Rabada will be the key players for GT.
PBKS – Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Glenn Maxwell, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal will be the key players for PBKS.
GT vs PBKS Weather Report:
Rain is unlikely to play spoilsport during the GT vs PBKS game on Tuesday. The weather forecast has not predicted any rain in the city on the match day and the temperature is expected to hover in the early 30s for most of the game.
Conclusion:
Both GT and PBKS had a disappointing campaign last season and will be desperate to turn things around this year. They will be keen to start their new campaign with a win.
