IPL 2023, PBKS vs GT: Gujarat Titans aims to move past Rinku Singh's attack and face Punjab Kings

Defending champion Gujarat Titans (GT), smarting from Rinku Singh's last-over blitzkrieg, would like to forget that nightmarish night and return to winning ways when they take on gritty Punjab Kings in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 game at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali on Thursday. GT had several heroes on that electrifying night, including young Sai Sudarshan, Vijay Shankar and the hat-trick man from Afghanistan, Rashid Khan, who led the side instead of the unwell Hardik Pandya.

But Rinku had other ideas. When the match looked as good as over, the Uttar Pradesh batter pulled the rabbit out of the hat for former two-time champion Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), smashing five maximums in the last over to stun the home team. That last-ball defeat will hurt GT for years to come, but in the immediate, it would like to forget it and get on with the next game.

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GT, currently fourth on the table with four points from three games, still has a great chance to top the chart, but for that, it will have to collectively come together against PBKS, which is fast emerging as one of the most challenging sides to surmount. By its current form, PBKS's eight-wicket loss to former champion SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) could be an aberration, given the shape of its captain Shikhar Dhawan and young left-arm bowler Arshdeep Singh.

Dhawan's innings in Hyderabad on April 9 was a testament to the stalwarts' resilience and his ability to stay composed as wickets fell like ninepins at the other end. His 99 in a losing cause was far more extensive and better than playing a winning hand against former champion Rajasthan Royals (RR) with an unbeaten 86 or a stroke-filled 40 against KKR.

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GT would be wary of Dhawan's form, and Hardik would know all too well how the veteran Delhi cricketer would be itching to once again prove himself. It could be a contest of one-upmanship between Dhawan and Shubman Gill, with the former still wanting to prove himself and be in contention for a place in the India squad for the ICC World Cup at home later this year.

The way Dhawan and young opening partner Prabhsimran Singh have blasted off in powerplays indicates that they are likely to alter their strategy against GT, who have bowlers of the calibre of Mohammed Shami, Hardik and Rashid, to name a few. Lower down, PBKS have the most expensive buy in IPL history, all-rounder Sam Curran besides Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma. In the bowling department, Arshdeep and Nathan Ellis have created several problems for the rivals.

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GT has its firepower, boasting of the likes of Gill, top-order batter Sudarshan and Shankar -- late bloomer at 32 --who struck an unbeaten 24-ball 63 to guide the side to a 200-plus total in its game against KKR. Had it not been for Rinku's breathtaking last-over mayhem, Vijay could have patted his back for the beautiful effort. Unfortunately, that was not to be, and things turned upside-down in the last over bowled by Yash Dayal.

GT could look at its bowling combination and see how to rotate its bowlers efficiently. With four premier bowlers in, Shami, Josh Little, Alzarri Joseph and Rashid, it shouldn't have lost the game after posting 204. But, then, this is IPL, and there is one Rinku too many itching to prove themselves.

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Squads:
PBKS: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Rahul Chahar, Sam Curran, Rishi Dhawan, Nathan Ellis, Gurnoor Brar, Harpreet Brar, Harpreet Singh, Vidwath Kaverappa, Liam Livingstone, Mohit Rathee, Prabhsimran Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, M Shahrukh Khan, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Singh, Matthew Short, Sikandar Raza and Atharva Taide.
GT: Hardik Pandya (c), KS Bharat (wk), Alzarri Joseph, Josh Little, Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Mohammed Shami, Darshan Nalkande, Noor Ahmad, Urvil Patel, Rashid Khan, Wriddhiman Saha, R Sai Kishore, Sai Sudharsan, Pradeep Sangwan, Dasun Shanaka, Vijay Shankar, Mohit Sharma, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Odean Smith, Rahul Tewatia, Matthew Wade, Jayant Yadav and Yash Dayal.

Match details
Date and day: April 13, 2023 (Thursday)
Venue: PCA Stadium, Mohali
Time: 7.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and other Star Sports regional language channels - Also available in HD
Where to watch (Online): JioCinema

(With inputs from PTI)