IPL 2024: Predicting 3 players who could pick up the most wickets in today's GT vs PBKS match
It's Shubman Gill's Gujarat Titans (GT) against Shikhar Dhawan's Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Ahmedabad today (Thursday, April 4). Not only is it a competition of India's past and present white-ball cricket, but also of two unique bowling attacks.
On one hand, you have GT who have perhaps the best spin trio of the league on paper but it hasn't played together yet. Even though two of them have played together in all three games, they haven't yet won matches on their own and it's the inexperienced fast-bowling and batting contingents who've been more reliable.
Similarly for PBKS, you have perhaps the best-rounded fast-bowling line-up in IPL 2024. They did fire together in their opening match of the season but, apart from a few good individual performances, blanked as a unit in the two away games.
Now when these two take on each other, which bowler from which team would manage to pick the most wickets - here's our prediction!
#3 Sam Curran
Thanks to his three-wicket-haul against Lucknow Super Giants, Sam Curran is PBKS' joint-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2024. After not trusting him with the ball for the first two games, PBKS finally utilized his skills like a strike bowler and he emerged as the best on the field, especially in death overs.
So far in IPL 2024, recent form is playing a big role. His last two wickets in the match came off slower ones and were good signs of his possible return to his 2021 peak. That skill would be in fashion in Ahmedabad, which is best suited to bowlers who can vary their pace and make the ball hold onto the surface.
Curran has previously troubled Gill and would not mind taking the new ball against Wriddhiman Saha and Sai Sudharsan either.
#2 Noor Ahmad
When he took the wicket of Travis Head in GT's last match against SunRisers Hyderabad, the first question in a lot of their fans' minds was - "why did you wait so long to give him a game?" Spencer Johnson was simply eating up space for the IPL 2023 finalists, especially in home conditions and it was just the perfect change.
With teams trying to play out Rashid Khan against GT, Noor gets that extra opportunity of being attacked. He enjoyed that by being in the Purple Cap race last season and could catch up pretty soon in IPL 2024 as well.
PBKS don't boast the best players of spin. Except for Jitesh Sharma, there are not many who would enjoy the match-up against him in their middle order. But as his partners dry out runs from other ends, they'll have to take him on at some stage.
#1 Mohit Sharma
There could be no one else here than the joint second-highest wicket-taker in IPL. Mohit Sharma has started IPL 2024 from where he left off the previous season and thanks to Ahmedabad's increased support, he's rocking it even more.
Already, he has 25 wickets from 10 matches here at a ridiculous average of 10.84. PBKS who still don't have a reliable finisher and finishing strategy set in stone, could certainly face plenty of problems against him like other teams so far.