PBKS vs GT Match Preview: IPL 2023, Match 18: Punjab Kings will welcome reigning IPL champions Gujarat Titans in the 18th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. The match is scheduled to be played at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Thursday (April 13).
PBKS vs GT Match Preview:
Two in-form teams with similar start to their respective campaigns in IPL 2023 will be up against each other on Thursday when Punjab Kings take on Gujarat Titans. Both the teams have two wins and a loss from their opening three games.
Punjab Kings began their campaign with a 7-run win (DLS method) over Kolkata Knight Riders in a rain-marred match. The Shikhar Dhawan-led side piled up 191 for 5 before restricting KKR to 146 for 7 before rain brought a premature end to the proceedings in Mohali.
It was followed by a 5-run win over high-flying Rajasthan Royals. After scoring 197, Punjab managed to restrict Rajasthan to 192. Punjab’s winning start to IPL 2023 came to an end in their last game with a crushing 8-wicket loss at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Just like Punjab Kings, Gujarat Titans also began their campaign with a couple of wins before suffering a defeat that must have hurt them big time. The Hardik Pandya-led side began the season with a 5-wicktet win over Chennai Super Kings before beating Delhi Capitals by 6 wickets.
It was followed by a heart-breaking 3-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders. The reigning champions could not defend 204 runs at their home ground. Yash Dayal conceded 5 straight sixes on the last 5 balls of the game when KKR needed an improbable 28 runs to win.
The upcoming game will test the characters of both the teams. Both the teams are coming into this game after suffering heavy defeats and will be desperate to bounce back quickly.
PBKS vs GT Match Preview: Points Table:
As far as the points table of the IPL is concerned, Gujarat Titans are currently at the fourth spot with 2 wins and 1 loss. Punjab Kings, on the other hand, are at the sixth spot despite having the same number of wins and loss as Titans due to net run-rate.
Lucknow Super Giants are currently at the top spot with 3 wins from 4 games. They are followed by Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders while Titans complete the top 4.
Here is the points table of IPL 2023:
| Teams | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Pts | NRR |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1.048 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2.067 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1.375 |
| Gujarat Titans | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.431 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.356 |
| Punjab Kings | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -0.235 |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.8 |
| Mumbai Indians | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.879 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -1.502 |
| Delhi Capitals | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.576 |
(Table updated after 16th game of IPL 2023)
PBKS vs GT Match Preview: Match details:
Date and time: Thursday, April 13 at 19:30 (IST)
Venue: Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali
Form guide (last three games):
Punjab Kings: L, W, W
Gujarat Titans: L, W, W
Squads:
Punjab Kings:
Shikhar Dhawan(c), Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma(w), Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Nathan Ellis, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Atharva Taide, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Matthew Short, Mohit Rathee, Kagiso Rabada, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Baltej Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Raj Bawa, Shivam Singh
Gujarat Titans:
Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya(c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Joshua Little, Yash Dayal, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Dasun Shanaka, Jayant Yadav, Vijay Shankar, Abhinav Manohar, Srikar Bharat, Mohit Sharma, Pradeep Sangwan, Matthew Wade, Odean Smith, Shivam Mavi, Darshan Nalkande, Urvil Patel