GT vs PBKS Match Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2024 match?
When Shubman Gill replaced Shikhar Dhawan as India's first-choice ODI opener alongside Rohit Sharma, it was clear that the youngster would become a superstar. However, few could've anticipated how quickly he'd become a captain in the Indian Premier League.
Following Hardik Pandya's trade to the Mumbai Indians, an event that hasn't gone down well in any circles thus far, the Gujarat Titans decided to place their faith in Gill. The 24-year-old has led them to two wins in three matches and is now gearing up for a clash against Dhawan's Punjab Kings.
The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the clash on Thursday, April 4. The surface has been a touch two-paced this year, unlike the batting haven it was during the last season. That could perhaps be a conscious decision from the GT thinktank to try and offset the absences of not only Hardik but also Mohammed Shami.
The Titans have won both their home games and will look to keep their momentum going against a Punjab side that enters this contest on the back of successive losses.
The Kings went down to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru before falling to the Lucknow Super Giants and might already be thinking about the possibility of another playoff-less season.
Gujarat have won two of their three meetings against Punjab in the IPL. Both teams haven't changed drastically since then, so familiar matchups between two sets of players who know each other well could be on the cards.
Can GT enter the playoff spots in IPL 2024 with two points, or will PBKS get back in the win column?
IPL 2024, GT vs PBKS: Titans look to enter playoff spots
Shubman Gill hasn't been at his best so far in IPL 2024, but there's no evidence that captaincy is adversely affecting his batting. In fact, he smoked a first-ball six against the Chennai Super Kings, and a big knock could be around the corner for the GT captain.
Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan has been consistent at the top of the order for PBKS. He rectified issues with his powerplay strike rate in the last game but lost momentum in the middle overs as the innings wore on. The veteran left-hander can't be blamed squarely either, as the rest of the batting lineup didn't support him well enough.
Punjab's losses have coincided with unnecessary shuffles in the batting lineup. Sam Curran did well in the top order in their opening game of the season but came in as low as No. 6 against LSG. The likes of Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma haven't hit top gear either.
Moreover, Harshal Patel's form is turning out to be a real concern for PBKS. Their star acquisition at the IPL 2024 auction, the former RCB pacer has leaked runs at the death, where GT are generally deadly.
The fact that this is an evening fixture could make the toss important. Without taking it into consideration, the Titans are certainly the more sensible team and generally get the big calls right.
Home advantage has been a real factor in IPL 2024, which could give GT a slight edge over PBKS. It might seem like Gujarat are the outright favorites for this encounter, given how the two teams have fared so far, but it might be a closer contest than expected.
Punjab are a good team and could seriously challenge their opponents, but Gill and Co. are marginally ahead on paper.
Prediction: GT to win Match 17 of IPL 2024