Though statisticians will revel in the aesthetic symmetry of the first reverse fixture of the Indian Premier League (IPL) marking exactly the halfway point of the tournament, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans (GT) will be preoccupied with getting their pear-shaped campaigns back on track when they meet at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium here on Sunday.
After Kings suffered a third straight narrow defeat at home here on Thursday, the locals had some relief from the scorching heat in the form of unseasonal showers, but the blue in the sky returned on match eve.
The host side will hope for some of the momentum to return too as it locks horns with a side against which it last tasted success, in a stunning run-chase that saw the birth of the Shashank Singh-Ashutosh Sharma phenomenon.
Since then, the uncapped youngsters, touted as late-overs specialists, have emerged as Punjab’s top two run-scorers this season, despite never featuring above the No. 6 spot in the line-up. Such is its top-order blues that skipper Shikhar Dhawan, who remains unavailable due to a shoulder injury for a third match in a row, is Punjab’s third-highest scorer.
Meanwhile, the law of averages seems to have caught up with Gujarat, which enjoyed a dream run in its first two seasons. During its fourth defeat in seven games this year, the 2022 champion slumped to an 89-run total against Delhi Capitals, in which No. 8 Rashid Khan contributed 31.
Barring skipper Shubman Gill, GT’s top scorer, no batter who has faced a minimum of 10 balls has a strike rate over 140 or an average above 35. With a shaky middle order, Sai Sudharsan will need to convert his starts into big scores and strike at a faster clip.
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With the pitch here helping the seamers, the battle between veterans Harshal Patel and Mohit Sharma, both exponents of the slower delivery and variations, will be interesting.
Both Punjab and Gujarat are the slowest teams in the PowerPlay with the bat, scoring at 7.61 and 7.66 runs an over, respectively, but armed with a superior pace battery, the former might hold the edge.
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