Table-toppers Gujarat Titans (GT) are riding high with eight wins in nine matches and a victory over Punjab Kings (PBKS) will effectively seal their spot in the playoffs of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season. Playing at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday (May 3) night, GT skipper Hardik Pandya surprisingly chose to bat first after winning the toss as they look to condemn PBKS to a second straight defeat.
Sharing his thoughts after the toss, Pandya was not worried about the dew but ruled out himself from bowling for the next couple of matches, "Don't think dew will play a big role. Have to always stay on top of our games, can't be complacent. A lot of things have gone our way, but it could've gone the other way as well. I'm quite close to bowling now, but given our standing in the table, don't want to rush myself. Have the luxury of taking a couple of games off."
Meanwhile, PBKS skipper Mayank Agarwal was happy to be bowling first, given that he has lost most of the tosses this season, "Wanted to bowl first. Have lost 8 tosses out of 10. We are playing good, aggressive cricket. Just that we haven't seized key be moments. Pretty there's enough talent to go a long way if we seize those key moments."
Both sides have decided to go with the same teams as their last match. Gujarat won their last outing against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) which was their fifth consecutive victory. Punjab, meanwhile, lost to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and are currently eighth on the points table.
Punjab Kings Playing XI
Mayank Agarwal(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Sandeep Sharma
Gujarat Titans Playing XI
Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya(c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Pradeep Sangwan, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami
