IPL 2022 | GT vs PBKS - Pre-Match Analysis

We are heading into the 16th match of the Indian Premier League 2022, and we have two teams who are coming off a dominant win against their respective opponents. On the one hand, Punjab Kings have a very aggressive batting lineup with pinch hitters in the upper-middle and lower-middle order, but they would want to improve their finishing touches with the bat. 

On the other hand, Gujarat Titans would breathe a sigh of relief with the returning gill playing an excellent counter-attacking knock and staying for over 17 overs in the crease. So let us analyze Punjab's batting and bowling department since the 2020 season. 

We will not be considering Gujarat titans due to the smaller number of matches they have played.

Team Batting Analysis

Here we have split their batting performance for every 15 balls in the innings. Here we can see that Punjab, like other teams, have started off on a slow note striking at just below 107 but what stands out among other teams is that their balls per wicket value are a colossal 71, which is superiorly higher than the next best team, Mumbai Indians (36.28). 

They take a more aggressive route between their 16th to 30th ball and utilize the powerplay overs well by striking at 140.4, which is the second-highest among all teams since 2020 (the highest being Mumbai Indians striking at 152.3). They also keep striking at 125-133 in the middle overs. 

A very noticeable trend with Punjab Kings since 2020 is their mediocre performance in the death overs. Between 91 to 106 balls, we can see that they have an average strike rate of just above 130 which is the lowest among all teams since 2020. 

They have an improved strike rate of 153.5 in the last 15 balls of the innings, but considering the nature of the game, a better strike rate is expected in the last 2 to 3 overs of the game since this value also stands as the second-lowest among all teams since 2020 (lowest being Sunrisers Hyderabad of 149.66).

Team Bowling Analysis

Here we can see that in their first 15 balls, they have kept the opponents quiet by bowling tight lines and lengths and conceding an average economy rate of 6.05, which is the second-best among all teams since 2020 (the best being SRH with 5.65). 

They tend to give more runs between the 16 to 30 ball phase, but even after their high economy rate, they still stand among teams in terms of this economy rate with the lowest value among all of them and a decent balls per wicket value of 24.47. 

Though they maintained a consistent economy rate range of 7.15-8 in the middle overs, they faced a problem getting wickets at regular intervals due to their high balls per wicket value, especially between the 31st to the 60th delivery the innings. They also had good balls per wicket value of 16.26 between the 91st and 105th balls, but they ended up conceding the highest average economy rate of all the teams in this phase since 2020. 

They have balls per wicket value of 11.39 in between the 106th to 120th balls (lowest among all teams since 2020), but at the same time, they have conceded an average of 10.54 runs per over, which is the second-worst economy rate in this phase and they would be eager to work on this phase of play.

Bowling Type and Venue based Analysis

A distinguishable point is that close to 50 per cent of the wickets in this ground have been taken by right-arm pacers, and close to 70 per cent of the wickets have been taken by both right and left arm pacers combined. 

We can also see that leg spinners have taken just around 8 per cent of the wickets, but in the 3 matches that have taken place so far, close to 20 per cent of the wickets have been taken by leg spinners is the second-highest among all bowling types. 

An interesting point with respect to Brabourne Stadium is that in the powerplay, the average balls per boundary value is 4.79, which is the fifth-lowest among all the venues in India during IPL. In the death overs, the average strike rate with the bat has been 163.79 which is the eighth-best among all venues in India during IPL. 

In terms of bowling, Brabourne stadium has an average economy rate of 10.25 in the death overs, which is the 4th highest among all the stadiums in India. The average economy rate in the middle overs in Brabourne is 7.90, the 6th highest among all venues. It is also higher than the economy conceded in the powerplay in Brabourne (7.82).

Match Up Analysis (since 2018)

Rashid Khan vs Shikhar Dhawan

Rashid has always had the upper hand while bowling to Dhawan in the IPL. The leg-spinner has kept him quiet in the powerplay while he has dismissed him thrice in the powerplay and has balls per dot value of 2.7 in this phase. So it will be interesting to see how this rivalry pans out.

Shubhman Gill vs Arshdeep Singh

Though they have not faced each other much in IPL, the 17 deliveries between Gill and Arshdeep in the powerplay could give us an idea of how the rivalry would proceed. Arshdeep has the ability to swing the ball into the right-handed batter early up, which Gill generally faces a problem with, and that is how he has got dismissed against Arshdeep in their last encounter.

Shubman Gill vs Kagiso Rabada

Gill has also generally struggled with extra pace and bounce, and his match up with Rabada is an exciting one in this context. However, the latter has the clear advantage in this rivalry, and he has kept Gill quiet in both the powerplay and middle overs.

Liam Livingstone vs Rashid Khan

The rivalry between Livingstone and Rashid is a fascinating one. The above graph is based on their IPL encounters, and we can see that Rashid has got the better of Livingstone twice within the 6 balls he has faced. But by delving deeper into their overall encounter, we know that Livingstone has scored 77 runs at a staggering strike rate of 167.4 against Rashid khan and has been dismissed thrice. So Livingstone is definitely going to come out to the crease with an aggressive mindset, and it will be interesting to see how Rashid counteracts it.

Shikhar Dhawan vs Mohammed Shami

This has been quite a one-sided rivalry so far in IPL, especially in the powerplay where Dhawan has a strike rate of 147.1 without being dismissed. Also, while looking at their overall rivalry, Shami has bowled 66 deliveries, and Dhawan has a magnificent strike rate of 156.1 without being dismissed even once. So it will be interesting to see if Shami can break Dhawan's momentum and get his first breakthrough in their rivalry.