GT Predicted XI vs PBKS: Stability key for high-flying Gujarat Titans | Cricket

Gujarat Titans have turned out to be the team to beat in the 2022 Indian Premier League and have made a habit of pulling wins out of seemingly hopeless situations. While their top order consisting of Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya have all fired at various points of the season, it is the middle and lower middle order like David Miller, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan who seem to cause the most damage. The last time Gujarat and Punjab met, they produced a cracking finish with Tewatia bringing his team back from the dead by smashing two sixes off the last two balls of the game. GT have had a few underperformers this season but their form is such that it is likely that they will choose not to chop and change and maintain a set unit going into the playoffs. A win on Tuesday would be enough for them to take a four-point lead at the top of the IPL table.

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Let’s take a look at the predicted playing XI for the Gujarat Titans ahead of their match against the Punjab Kings.

Openers: Wriddhiman Saha seems to have finally found form and while Shubman Gill is not quite hitting the highs he did early on in the season, the pair seem have put up 50-run stands for the last two matches in a row. 

Top and middle-order: Hardik Pandya decided to come in at No.4 in their last match against Royal Challengers Bangalore with Sai Sudarshan coming in at one down. The experiment didn’t work that well but Sudarshan is expected to get one more chance. David Miller then came in at No.5 and led the team to victory with Rahul Tewatia.   

Power hitters: Rahul Tewatia showed that he had another gear when he batted out seven overs in an unbeaten 79-run stand with Miller that came in just 40 balls against RCB. Rashid Khan, meanwhile, hasn’t enjoyed too much success with the ball but he has turned out to be a trump card for GT with the bat. 

Spin options: Rashid Khan has pretty much been the only spin option that GT have used throughout this season and it doesn’t look like that is going to change. Rashid has been nowhere close to his best this season but he is just too good a bowler to be dropped and he has also turned out to be a valuable batter in the lower middle order. 

Fast bowlers: Mohammed Shami has been sensational for GT in the powerplay overs while Yash Dayal may just be one of multiple finds of the season that IPL teams have chanced upon with regards to young Indian fast bowling talent. Lockie Ferguson has endured mixed returns but it is unlikely that the team will look for other options when the results are going their way. At the end of it all, there is also captain Pandya, although the all-rounder has not bowled in the last three matches. 

GT Predicted XI: Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya (captain), Sai Sudarshan, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal.

Changes from last match: GT are likely to play an unchanged XI.