Iyer, who led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title final 12 months and guided Delhi Capitals to the 2020 last, now faces the problem of breaking Punjab’s 18-12 months wait for his or her maiden IPL trophy.
Despite a rebrand from Kings XI Punjab to Punjab Kings, the franchise has struggled for consistency, failing to complete within the high 5 over the past 4 seasons. Their finest performances got here in 2014 (runners-up) and 2018 (semifinalists), however frequent squad and management modifications have hindered their progress.
Now, with Iyer on the helm and Ricky Ponting as head coach, Punjab Kings have a stable basis for a fresh start.
GILL’S REDEMPTION MISSION WITH GUJARAT TITANS
On the opposite hand, Shubman Gill will likely be keen to show issues round for Gujarat Titans after a disappointing 2024 season, the place they completed eighth following a title win in 2022 and a runner-up end in 2023 under Hardik Pandya.
Both Iyer and Gill enter the IPL in pink-sizzling type, having performed pivotal roles in India’s Champions Trophy triumph in Dubai earlier this month. Iyer emerged as India’s high scorer with 243 runs in 5 video games, whereas Gill smashed a century within the event opener against Bangladesh.
TEAM COMPOSITION & KEY PLAYERS
Gujarat Titans
GT will financial institution on Gill and England’s Jos Buttler to supply a powerful start, whereas the center order options 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 worthwhile depth.
The tempo assault will likely be spearheaded by Mohammed Siraj, who will likely be desirous to regain his spot within the Indian crew after lacking the Champions Trophy. He will likely be supported by Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Gerald Coetzee, and Ishant Sharma.
The spin division will likely be led by the ever-dependable Rashid Khan, with Sai Kishore offering backup.
Punjab Kings
For Punjab, Iyer, Josh Inglis, Prabhsimran Singh, Marcus Stoinis, and Glenn Maxwell would be the key batting forces. Their lineup boasts a number of all-rounders, together with Azmatullah Omarzai, Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Shashank Singh, and Musheer Khan.
The tempo assault will likely be led by Arshdeep Singh, who’s raring to go after warming the bench in the course of the Champions Trophy. He could have help from Lockie Ferguson, Kuldeep Sen, and Yash Thakur.
Punjab’s spin division options veteran leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar, each essential to the crew’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.