The Punjab Kings will face the Gujarat Titans for the second time in the Tata Indian Premier League 2022 on Tuesday, May 03. The teams will lock horns at Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium for an evening game.
The Titans are sitting atop the points table with 16 points from nine games, losing just one match, while the Kings have won four and lost five games in their nine played matches, and sit at the seventh position with eight points.
Before this all-important match, here’s everything you need to know.
What a win means to the teams
For the Punjab Kings, a win would mean a step closer to making it to the playoffs and landing a top-four spot. While this victory will not seal the deal, it will give the team 10 points and a good chance of making it to the top four.
As for the Gujarat Titans, a win in this match would give them a guaranteed ticket to the playoffs, becoming the first team in the Tata Indian Premier League 2022 to do so. They will want to win this game as much as PBKS do.
In their previous meeting
The previous encounter between PBKS and GT went down to the wire, with the latter sealing a win with a last-ball six. Mayank Agarwal and Co. put up an impressive 189/9 in the first innings, led by Liam Livingstone’s 64 (27). However, Shubman Gill’s 96 (59) and a necessary six off the last delivery from Rahul Tewatia won the game for the Titans by six wickets.
In the upcoming encounter, the Kings will be looking to avenge this close defeat and remove another obstacle enroute to the playoffs.
Playing at DY Patil Stadium
The Kings have played two matches at the DY Patil Stadium in the Tata Indian Premier League 2022 with contrasting results. In their season opener, PBKS faced the Royal Challengers Bangalore and won by five wickets. Later, they lost to the Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets at the same venue.
The Titans, on the other hand have played three matches at the DY Patil Stadium, the first of which is also their one and only loss of the season so far, against Sunrisers Hyderabad, by eight wickets. Their next two games here, the team won against Rajasthan Royals and the Kolkata Knight Riders by 37 runs and eight wickets respectively.
The Shubman Gill-Kagiso Rabada battle
The South African pacer has made Gill walk on a tightrope so far, allowing him to score only 31 runs off 45 deliveries. Rabada has dismissed Gill twice previously, including in the last game, to get him out at 96.
The first Tuesday in May will see the two teams locking horns in this intriguing battle. Sher Squad, tune in for another interesting game.