Why Is Glenn Phillips Not In GT's Playing XI Vs PBKS In IPL 2025?

Why have GT dropped Phillips? [Source: @ShamimSports/x.com]

The 5th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will take place the Gujarat Titans (GT) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The Titans won the toss and elected to bowl first as they aim to chase down the total when the dew comes on which will make the batters' job easier.

They picked all the right players but one decision raised the eyebrow and that was the decision to drop Glenn Phillips, their superstar signing from the playing XI.

Why Was Glenn Phillips dropped?

Gujarat have gone in with three overseas signings in their playing XI- Jos Buttler, Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada. Interestingly, GT will bat second and will bring in an extra batter as an impact player to chase down the total.

In that regards, they can bring in Phillips as an impact player to create more depth in the batting lineup. The Kiwi batter is a brilliant finisher and can be used in that role when the target comes on. If the dew comes in the ball will get wet and striking it will be an easier task and Phillips is a master of it.

Gujarat Titans playing XI

Gujarat Titans Playing XI: Shubman Gill (c), B Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj

Punjab's playing combination

Punjab, too, had an interesting lineup as they decided to drop Nehal Wadhera, their star signing and instead, went ahead with Suryansh Shedge, the star for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT).

Their four overseas players in playing XI are Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Azmatullah Omarzai and Marco Jansen.

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