Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer during the practice session ahead of the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. File
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
Fire and ice will collide when Punjab Kings rolls out the red carpet for Gujarat Titans in the IPL duel at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium here on Tuesday (March 31, 2026).
A clash of philosophies is on the cards as PBKS and GT adopt vastly different styles to achieve the same objective of racking up mammoth totals. While the Punjab outfit goes bang-bang from ball one, the Gujarat team brings a semblance of calm without compromising on the scoring rate.
The PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting emphasised that the challenge was to start from scratch and do it all over again. “We play a very daring brand of cricket, but it is nil-nil now for everybody,” said Ponting on the eve of the clash.
A peek at the franchises’ respective PowerPlay works is enough to explain the contrasting approaches. If PBKS’ Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh are considered ‘brothers of destruction’, GT captain Shubman Gill and his opening partner B. Sai Sudharsan establish a strong base before unleashing the big hits.
To significantly improve its chances of cracking huge totals, the Shreyas Iyer-led side, on one hand, is also adamant on having batting depth until No. 8 or 9. On the other hand, the 2022 title-winner relies on role specialists in the middle-order to put it in the ascendancy.
On the bowling front, both teams have the strength and variety to inflict damage even on a batting paradise. Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal could hold the key for the host, while Mohammed Siraj, last edition’s Purple Cap winner Prasidh Krishna and Rashid Khan will be expected to put in a shift for the visitor.
Under the carnival lights, the side with fire in its belly and ice in its veins is most likely to come up trumps.
Published – March 31, 2026 02:14 am IST
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