Iyer, who led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title last year and guided Delhi Capitals to the 2020 final, now faces the challenge of breaking Punjab’s 18-year wait for their maiden IPL trophy.
Despite a rebrand from Kings XI Punjab to Punjab Kings, the franchise has struggled for consistency, failing to finish in the top five over the last four seasons. Their best performances came in 2014 (runners-up) and 2018 (semifinalists), but frequent squad and leadership changes have hindered their progress.
Now, with Iyer at the helm and Ricky Ponting as head coach, Punjab Kings have a solid foundation for a fresh start.
GILL’S REDEMPTION MISSION WITH GUJARAT TITANS
On the other hand, Shubman Gill will be eager to turn things around for Gujarat Titans after a disappointing 2024 season, where they finished eighth following a title win in 2022 and a runner-up finish in 2023 under Hardik Pandya.
Both Iyer and Gill enter the IPL in red-hot form, having played pivotal roles in India’s Champions Trophy triumph in Dubai earlier this month. Iyer emerged as India’s top scorer with 243 runs in five games, while Gill smashed a century in the tournament opener against Bangladesh.
TEAM COMPOSITION & KEY PLAYERS
Gujarat Titans
GT will bank on Gill and England’s Jos Buttler to provide a strong start, while the middle order features the likes of Sherfane Rutherford, Sai Sudharsan, and M Shahrukh Khan. Their all-rounders—Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, and Mahipal Lomror—add valuable depth.
The pace attack will be spearheaded by Mohammed Siraj, who will be eager to regain his spot in the Indian team after missing the Champions Trophy. He will be supported by Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Gerald Coetzee, and Ishant Sharma.
The spin department will be led by the ever-reliable Rashid Khan, with Sai Kishore providing backup.
Punjab Kings
For Punjab, Iyer, Josh Inglis, Prabhsimran Singh, Marcus Stoinis, and Glenn Maxwell will be the key batting forces. Their lineup boasts several all-rounders, including Azmatullah Omarzai, Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Shashank Singh, and Musheer Khan.
The pace attack will be led by Arshdeep Singh, who is raring to go after warming the bench during the Champions Trophy. He will have support from Lockie Ferguson, Kuldeep Sen, and Yash Thakur.
Punjab’s spin department features veteran leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar, both crucial to the team’s bowling plans.
Squads
Gujarat Titans (GT):
Shubman Gill (c), Anuj Rawat, Jos Buttler, Kumar Kushagra, Sherfane Rutherford, Sai Sudharsan, M Shahrukh Khan, Rashid Khan, Karim Janat, Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Phillips, Nishant Sindhu, Manav Suthar, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Arshad Khan, Gerald Coetzee, Gurnoor Brar, Kulwant Khejroliya, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada, Sai Kishore, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav.
Punjab Kings (PBKS):
Shreyas Iyer (c), Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Singh, Josh Inglis, Prabhsimran Singh, Vishnu Vinod, Nehal Wadhera, Azmatullah Omarzai, Aaron Hardie, Marco Jansen, Glenn Maxwell, Musheer Khan, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Arshdeep Singh, Xavier Bartlett, Yuzvendra Chahal, Praveen Dubey,
Lockie Ferguson, Harpreet Brar, Kuldeep Sen, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur.
