Captain Shreyas Iyer will look to leverage his leadership experience as he begins the season with a match against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Tuesday. His goal is to turn around the fortunes of the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) perennial underachievers, Punjab Kings (PBKS). The GT vs PBKS match will kick off at 7:30 PM at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on March 25 (Tuesday).
Four years after leading Delhi Capitals to the IPL 2020 final, Iyer achieved great success with Kolkata Knight Riders, guiding them to the title last year. Now, he faces the challenge of ending Punjab Kings’ 18-year wait for their first IPL championship.
Despite rebranding from Kings XI Punjab to Punjab Kings, the team has struggled to finish in the top five over the past four seasons. Their best performance came in 2018 when they reached the semi-finals, and they made it to the final once in 2014.
However, with Shreyas Iyer now at the helm, Punjab Kings have a captain with a proven track record. Iyer will also reunite with coach Ricky Ponting, a partnership that offers a fresh opportunity for a new beginning.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans, who claimed the IPL title in 2022 and finished as runners-up in 2023 under Hardik Pandya, had a disappointing eighth-place finish in 2024. Shubman Gill, who took over as captain last season, faced a challenging campaign despite his role as India’s vice-captain in One Day Internationals.
Both Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are entering the IPL 2025 tournament in excellent form, having played pivotal roles in India’s Champions Trophy-winning campaign in Dubai earlier this month.
IPL 2025: GT vs PBKS Playing XI
Here’s the Gujarat Titans (GT) Playing XI (Probables) in a table format:
| Player | Position |
|---|---|
| Shubman Gill (C) | Captain |
| Jos Buttler (WK) | Wicketkeeper |
| Sai Sudharsan | Batsman |
| Mahipal Lomror | Batsman |
| Shahrukh Khan | All-rounder |
| Glenn Phillips | Batsman |
| Rahul Tewatia | All-rounder |
| Washington Sundar | All-rounder |
| Rashid Khan | Bowler |
| Kagiso Rabada | Bowler |
| Mohammed Siraj | Bowler |
Gujarat Titans Impact Sub:
- Prasidh Krishna
Here’s the Punjab Kings (PBKS) Playing XI in a table format:
| Player | Position |
|---|---|
| Prabhsimran Singh | Batsman |
| Josh Inglis (WK) | Wicketkeeper |
| Shreyas Iyer | Captain |
| Marcus Stoinis | All-rounder |
| Glenn Maxwell | All-rounder |
| Shashank Singh | Batsman |
| Nehal Wadhera | Batsman |
| Marco Jansen | All-rounder |
| Harpreet Brar | All-rounder |
| Arshdeep Singh | Bowler |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | Bowler |
