On 31st March 2026, the 4th match of IPL will be played between the Punjab Kings and the Gujarat Titans. Both of the teams are going to face each other at one of the home grounds of Punjab Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA Stadium, Mullanpur. The captains of both teams are going through a difficult phase of their careers, especially in the T20 format, because both of these players were opted out of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Both Shreyas Iyer and Shubhman Gil are looking to regain themself in the upcoming season of IPL and get their permanent position back in the playing 11 of India's T20. Last year's campaign of the Punjab Kings was one of the most memorable for the team because they finished in the top 2 and just missed the championship by a few runs. Gujarat Titans were also in the play of last year; however, they were eliminated in the Eliminator round.
The confidence and dedication of Punjab
Even before the start of the tournament, the Punjab Kings team has made it clear their intention of taking the trophy this year. The star player of Punjab, Shashank Singh, has clearly said that they are taking one match at a time and the ultimate goal is the trophy. He said that it's not an intuition but a belief that our team is stable and the Punjab Kings will definitely win the cup this year.
The captain of the Punjab Kings, Shreyas Iyer, is considered one of the most decorated years of IPL player because he lead total of three franchises to the final and won the IPL once. Shreyas Iyer started his IPL Triumph with Delhi Capitals when he led them to the finals for the first time, then he moved to KKR and won the IPL with them, and then he became a reliable leader of Punjab and allowed Punjab to reach the IPL final. This year is a redemption arc for Shreyas Iyer because he wants to secure his position in the T20 side of Team India.
The stability of the Gujarat Titans
Among all the IPL teams Gujarat Titans are considered one of the most stable because they have not undergone any major injury changes. The Gujarat Titans campaign did not make a lot of changes in their lineup after IPL 2026, and they usually stick with their main core. 1 minor concern for them is the fitness of Sai Sudarshan because he has suffered a rib injury in the Vijay Hazare trophy. Although no reports for any replacements have arrived from the campaign.
Shubhman Gil will step in on the field as the captain of the Gujarat Titans and a title to prove him as a reliable T20 batsman. Multiple critics have doubted his form in the T20 format because of his low strike rate. With a mindset of redemption, Shubhman Gil is ready to showcase his dominance.
Probable playing 11
For PBKS
- Priyansh Arya
- Prabhsimran Singh (wk)
- Cooper Connolly
- Shreyas Iyer (capt)
- Marcus Stoinis
- Nehal Wadhera
- Shashank Singh
- Marco Jansen
- Xavier Bartlett/Ben Dwarshuis/Azmatullah Omarzai
- Arshdeep Singh
- Yuzvendra Chahal
- Vijaykumar Vyshak
For GT
- Shubman Gill (capt)
- B Sai Sudharsan
- Jos Buttler (wk)
- Washington Sundar
- Glenn Phillips
- M Shahrukh Khan
- Rahul Tewatia
- Jason Holder/Kagiso Rabada
- Rashid Khan
- Prasidh Krishna
- Mohammed Siraj
- R Sai Kishore/Ashok Sharma/Arshad Khan
With Washington Sundar and Rashid Khan already in the playing 11, the chances of Sai Kishore playing for GT are very low. Most likely, Ashok Sharma will get his Maiden IPL call and get a chance to play his first IPL game. The pitch will most likely benefit fast bowlers, and Ashok Sharma might be our reliable option.
Pitch report
The match will be played at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA Stadium, Mullanpur, especially on the 4th pitch, which was the same one that was used in pbks match against Chennai Super Kings last year. This was the same page where Priyansh Arya scored a century and put up a score of 219 against CSK. According to the head coach of Punjab Kings, Ricky Ponting, the match between these two will deliver a high-scoring contest.
The match between these two teams will be exciting, and both are the teams are filled with aggressive hitters. The match will start around 7:30 p.m. IST at Mullanpur Stadium.
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