3 player battles to watch out for in GT vs PBKS, Match 5 of IPL 2025 ft. Shubman Gill
Gujarat Titans are all set to start their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign by hosting the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at their home turf, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The fixture will take place on Tuesday, March 25.
GT will be led by Shubman Gill. Meanwhile, PBKS will find a new face at the helm in Shreyas Iyer, who they roped in for a whopping sum of ₹26.75 crore. With that, Iyer became the second-most expensive player in IPL history as the 2025 auction broke multiple records.
As the two sides gear up for their respective campaign openers and start their tournament on a winning note, here are three player battles to watch out for.
Shubman Gill vs Arshdeep Singh
The Ahmedabad pitch has offered swing for the new-ball bowlers, which will be a huge advantage for PBKS pacer Arshdeep Singh. On the other hand, Shubman Gill has always been at his best whenever he’s batted at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
In T20s, Gill has scored 64 runs in 51 balls off the India speedster’s bowling. Arshdeep Singh, meanwhile, has dismissed the GT opener once, and conceded eight fours. Nonetheless, the 25-year-old batter has maintained an average of 64 against the Madhya Pradesh-born.
While Gill, the skipper, was retained by the Titans, Arshdeep Singh was released by PBKS before being re-purchased for INR 18 crore. The franchise used their RTM option and matched SRH’s bid amount.
Shreyas Iyer vs Kagiso Rabada
Shreyas Iyer and Kagiso Rabada were once teammates in the Delhi Capitals camp till 2021. They became rivals last season when the former moved to Kolkata Knight Riders and the latter was roped in by the Punjab Kings.
With the mega-auction changing the dynamics of the tournament again, Iyer will now be seen donning the Punjab jersey. Whereas, Rabada will be part of the 2022 Champions team Gujarat Titans.
Over the years, in T20s, the duo have faced off nine times. Rabada’s short-ball tactics have worked against Iyer. The now PBKS skipper has managed to score just 21 runs in 23 balls of seven innings against the former in all T20s. Iyer hasn't lost his wicket to the Protea pacer yet in these games and has maintained a strike rate of 91.30.
Glenn Maxwell vs Rashid Khan
Over the years in T20s, Glenn Maxwell and Rashid Khan have faced off several times, be it international cricket, the IPL, the Big Bash League, Major League Cricket, or The Hundred.
As a batter, Maxwell has played against the Afghan spinner in 15 innings, facing 84 deliveries. On the other hand, Rashid has faced six deliveries against the Aussie in two innings. Hence, the two all-rounders have had a good history facing off.
While Maxwell has a good record against Rashid, having scored 98 runs, including six fours and four sixes, the GT spinner has gotten the better of the Victorian thrice. Since both players specialize in the middle-order in their respective roles, it’ll be interesting to see who jumps one step ahead this time.