IPL 2022 | PBKS vs GT | Match 48 Preview, Prediction, Probable XI, CREX XI

Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be looking to bounce back to winning ways when they take on table-toppers Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 48th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Tuesday (May 03) at Dr DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai. 

While Punjab Kings will look to turn things around, high-flying Gujarat Titans have so far lost only one game this season and will aim to continue their winning run in the tournament.    

Gujarat Titans, following the habit of winning, pulled off a phenomenal run-chase against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last game after the stunning cameos from David Miller and Rahul Tewatia. 

One of the best things about the IPL newcomers is finding new match-winners every time they take the field. On a couple of occasions, it was Shubman Gill; sometimes, it was Rashid Khan's quick cameos with the bat, while Tewatia has been consistently pulling them out of tricky situations and getting them past the finish line from day one.

In the bowling departments, they have got one of the best attacks in the tournament, comprising the likes of Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, and Rashid Khan. 

Though the table-toppers have virtually qualified for the playoffs, Hardik Pandya and co will look to win this crucial encounter and add 'Q' before their name in the points table.

Punjab Kings, on the other hand, despite having one of the best batting lines up, failed to utilize it on the field. So far, they have won 4 out of 9 matches and are placed in the 7th spot in the points table. 

They lost their previous match against Lucknow Super Giants by 20 runs after failing to chase a target of 154 runs. None of their batters except Shikhar Dhawan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and Liam Livingstone have managed to impress with the bat, while Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada have been excellent with the ball. 

They have finally found a good team balanced with the inclusion of Rishi Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa against CSK, and they stuck to it against the Super Giants. They must be looking to carry on with the same combination. 

Gujarat Titans are the clear favourites ahead of the game, and rightly so. However, it will not be an easy task against the star-studded Punjab Kings, who will be on their toes to win this crucial encounter to keep their playoff hope alive. 

Match Details

Match: Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans, Match 48

Venue: Dr DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai

Date & Time: 3rd May at 7:30 PM IST & Local Time

Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar 

Pitch Report: The pitch at the Dr DY Patil Stadium will remain balanced as it has been in the tournament so far. The pacers have varied their pace to get the results, and they'll try to do the same on Tuesday. The batters will ideally look to take advantage of the powerplay restrictions and shorter boundaries. Both teams will look to bowl first upon winning the toss, with 170 being a very competitive total at the venue.

Pitch Stats [Last 5 Matches] 

Matches Played: 5

Matches Won Batting First: 2

Matches Won Bowling First: 3

Average 1st Inning Score: 160

Average 2nd Inning Score: 156

Key Matchups

Shikhar vs Rashid: 41/4 at 93 SR

Shikhar vs Lockie: 56/3 at 122 SR

Shikhar vs Hardik: 19/1 at 127 SR

Shubman vs Rabada: 20/2 at 62 SR

Shubman vs Chahar: 58/2 at 181 SR

Mayank vs Hardik: 2/2 at 33 SR

Mayank vs Rashid: 23/1 at 100 SR

Bairstow vs Tewatia: 6/2 at 100 SR

Bairstow vs Lockie: 11/1 at 64 SR

Hardik vs Rabada: 39/2 at 162 SR

Hardik vs Arshdeep: 11/1 at 73 SR

Squads

Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya (C), Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Shubman Gill, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Abhinav Manohar, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Shami, Pradeep Sangwan, Matthew Wade, Varun Aaron, Jayant Yadav, Vijay Shankar, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Darshan Nalkande, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Dominic Drakes, Sai Sudharsan, Noor Ahmad

Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal (C), Jitesh Sharma (WK), Shikhar Dhawan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Sandeep Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Shahrukh Khan, Odean Smith, Vaibhav Arora, Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis, Prabhsimran Singh, Benny Howell, Baltej Singh, Writtick Chatterjee, Prerak Mankad, Ishan Porel, Atharva Taide, Ansh Patel, Raj Bawa

Probable Playing XI 

Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya (C), Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, David Miller, Pradeep Sangwan, Rashid Khan, Lockie Ferguson, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami

Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal (C), Jonny Bairstow, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Liam Livingstone, Kagiso Rabada, Rishi Dhawan, Sandeep Sharma, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh

CREX XI Suggestion

Wicket-Keeper: Wriddhiman Saha

Batters: Shikhar Dhawan, David Miller, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill

All-Rounders: Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Hardik Pandya

Bowlers: Mohammed Shami, Kagiso Rabada, Rashid Khan

Captain: Hardik Pandya

Vice-Captain: Shikhar Dhawan