IPL 2023 PBKS vs GT Preview - Both sides looking to rebound following defeats

Key match stats

Pitch Stats – IS Bindra Stadium

Average first innings score: 166
Average first innings winning score: 179
Average powerplay score: 49
Win % batting 1st vs batting 2nd: 43% / 53%

Team form PBKS vs GT

PBKS: LWW
GT: LWW

Recent meetings: IPL 2022 - PBKS won by 8 wickets, GT won by 6 wickets

Preview PBKS vs GT

Both these franchises head into game 4 off the back of defeats over the weekend that ended their winning starts to the tournament.

For the Titans, they can look at the defeat against KKR from the perspective that for 39.1 overs of the match they were well in control of the game before Rinku Singh's now legendary exploits.

In fact, it's the kind of finish that Gujarat themselves have been dishing out to opposition since the start of last season. Just ask Punjab Kings who had to suffer something not dissimilar last season when Rahul Tewatia strode to the crease and clubed 2 x sixes off the final 2 balls to snatch victory!

By contrast, Punjab's defeat at the hands of Sunrisers was less exciting and instead brought to a head a few of the problems with their middle order that looks a little short on quality and experience. Kudos to the captain Shikhar Dhawan whose score of 99 not out avoided it being a total embarrassment for the Kings but what happens in this match if he fails?

PBKS do have a couple of reasons to be confident coming into this game. Firstly, they inflicted Gujarat's biggest defeat in their relatively short history the last time these 2 teams met, restricting the Titans to 143 before cruising to an 8 wicket victory with 4 overs to spare.

Secondly, it looks likely that they will be able to bolster that middle order with the return of Liam Livingstone who has now joined the squad. Livingstone couldn't have picked better opposition to return to action against with the Englishman hitting 94 runs from just 37 balls against GT across the 2 games they played last season, including this massive 6 off the bowling of Mohammed Shami.

Livingstone's six measured 117m, putting it amongst the 10 biggest sixes in IPL history

Gujarat will hope that Hardik Pandya is well enough to return to the starting XI after he became the latest IPL star to be struck down by illness. It's all academic now, but perhaps had he have been their at the end he may have been able to see Yash Dayal through that last over or indeed have bowled it himself.

We saw a bit of swing in the last match that was played at the IS Bindra Stadium but that was on a significantly cooler day which ultimately finished with rain. The weather in Mohali since then and for this match is hot and dry which suggests we're less likely to see that early movement.

PBKS vs GT head to head

GT bowling vs PBKS batting

Mohammed Shami knows these conditions well following his stint with Punjab earlier in his IPL career. Most impressively, Shami has a strike rate of a wicket once every 16.6 balls in IPL matches at the IS Bindra Stadium,

However, he comes up against another experienced campaigner not to mention the in form player for the Kings in Shikhar Dhawan whom he is yet to dismiss in T20 cricket. These two first went head to head in an IPL match almost 10 years ago and Shikhar has been dominating ever since.

Mohammed Shami vs Shihkar Dhawan T20 head to head

We've seen in Kings opening 2 matches that they've been keen to get off to a fast start and then continue to attack the spinners through the middle overs. Sunil Narine and Yuzvendra Chahal were taken for 10 and 12 an over respectively in PBKS's wins against KKR and RR.

Key to that plan to date has been Bhanuka Rajapaksha who was forced to retire hurt in the win over Rajasthan but has since been cleared of any serious injury despite missing the defeat to Sunrisers.

PBKS will hope to get him and Liam Livingstone into that middle order to put similar pressure on Rashid Khan. Rajapaksha has never been dismissed by Rashid (29 balls in T20 cricket) while Liam Livingstone has the highest strike rate against Rashid of any batsmen in the IPL (min 30 balls faced).

Rashid Khan vs Liam Livingstone T20 head to head

PBKS bowling vs GT batting

Kagiso Rabada was available for the match against Sunrisers but didn't play. I would imagine after that fairly toothless performance that he'll get his opportunity in this game and he'll be matched up against several batsmen that he has a very good record against. Rabada took 6 wickets in the 2 matches that these franchises played last season.

Kagiso Rabada T20 head to head vs current Gujarat Titans squad

Another former Punjab man in David Miller, also returns to Mohali for the first time since leaving a franchise that he helped to their best IPL finish to date. Miller's IPL record at the IS Bindra Stadium is equally impressive, he is currently the 2nd highest run scorer of all-time at this venue.

David Miller IPL batting stats at the IS Bindra Stadium

What could prove crucial in this game, is the match up between Gujarat's 2 big hitting left-handers at the death in Miller and Tewatia and Punjab's 2 left-arm seamers in Curran and Arshdeep Singh. They only just managed to hold out against a late onslaught from the Royals and both GT batsmen favour left-arm fast medium bowling ahead of any other type of bowler. Miller strikes at 148 against it, while Tewatia's numbers are even more impressive...

Rahul Tewatia T20 batting stats vs left-arm fast medium bowling

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