PBKS vs GT Dream11 Prediction:Gujarat Titans are expected to win this match against Punjab Kings as they are a stronger bowling unit and have a much more experienced batting lineup.
Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans will come up against each other in Match 18 of the IPL 2023 at the PCA IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Thursday.
Punjab Kings started the tournament on a high, winning the first two games but are coming into this match on the back of a defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad away from home. Their batting is highly reliant on skipper Shikhar Dhawan which has been the only problem for them so far. Their bowling looks fine in all the departments but they will be keen to be more consistent with the bat. Skipper Dhawan will be hoping his side to have a better day with the bat in this match and come back into winning ways.
On the other hand, Gujarat Titans also won two of their first three games but lost the third match, falling prey to some ruthless batting of Rinku Singh in the final over. Overall, they are looking like a side with not many weaknesses. The top order is making the majority of the runs, followed by important contributions from the middle and the lower middle order. In bowling fronts, there has been some worry about the death bowling. However, they will be hoping to continue their good momentum and make it three in four games from their trip to Punjab.
League
Indian Premier League 2023
Match
Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans, Match 18
Date
13th April 2023
Time
7:30 PM IST
The surface in Mohali has been a balanced one between both bat and ball. Seamers will get some help initially but it will be a good wicket to bat on overall. Spinners can hold the scoring rate in the middle overs but the first innings total is expected to go at least around 175. Team winning the toss should bowl first as the pitch is expected to remain the same throughout the game.
The weather in Mohali looks fine throughout the day. There is no rain predicted during the match time.
Hardik Pandya and Bhanuka Rajapaksa didn’t play the last games of their respective teams. However, both of them are expected to be available in this match.
Liam Livingstone has joined Punjab Kings and is available for this match.
Wriddhiman Saha suffered a rib injury while batting in the last match and his availability is uncertain.
Punjab Kings Playing XI: Prabhsimran Singh, Shikhar Dhawan (c), Matthew Short/Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sikandar Raza/Liam Livingstone, Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Rahul Chahar.
Impact Players Probables: Rishi Dhawan, Mohit Rathee, Atharva Taide.
Gujarat Titans Playing XI: Shubman Gill, KS Bharat/Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami, Joshua Little
Impact Players Probables: Yash Dayal, Abhinav Manohar, Jayant Yadav
Gujarat Titans are expected to win this match against Punjab Kings as they are a stronger bowling unit and have a much more experienced batting lineup.
Shikhar Dhawan: Shikhar Dhawan is currently the highest run scorer in the tournament. He has 225 runs in three games and has yet to get out since the last two innings. He is looking in great form and will be an excellent captaincy pick for this match. In addition, Dhawan scored an unbeaten 62 in the last face off between these two sides last year.
Rashid Khan: Rashid Khan is currently one of the top wicket takers in the tournament. He has eight wickets already in three games, including a hat-trick in the last game. Punjab’s record against wrist spin was one of the worst last season. It is advisable to keep Rashid as one of your captaincy choices.
Sai Sudharsan: Sai Sudharsan is coming on the back of two back to back half centuries. He is currently Titans’ highest run scorer with 137 runs in three games already. In addition, he scored his only half century last season against Punjab. He will be another safe captaincy choice ahead of this game.
Hardik Pandya: Hardik Pandya will be a great differential pick for this match. He has been selected by less than half of the teams as of writing this. His all-round abilities make him different from the crowd.
Nathan Ellis: Nathan Ellis will be another great differential pick for this game. The dimension of the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali is very much suitable for someone like Ellis. He bowls almost in every phase of the innings, making his case even more stronger to be in your XI.
Vijay Shankar: Vijay Shankar is one of the first names in most of the XIs due to his recent form with the bat. However, considering Hardik Pandya highly likely to come back into this match, Shankar might not get the chance to bat long enough to make a difference. Therefore, if is advisable to not pick him in your XI.
