Punjab Kings v Gujarat Titans: IPL 2022 match preview

The Cricketer takes a look at the next fixture in the 2022 Indian Premier League season

What's the match?

Punjab Kings take on Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League.

When is it taking place?

The game will be played on Friday, April 8. The first ball will be bowled at 7.30pm local time (3pm GMT).

Where is the match being played?

The game will be held at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.

Who's got the form?

Both sides sit on four points in the early stages of the tournament having won two games apiece.

Punjab have played one game more than the Titans and have lost one out of their three matches. They chased down a 205-run target in their first match but lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in their second as they failed to rebuild their innings after losing wickets in the powerplay.

They also fell victim to Andre Russell in that match, who thrashed 70 off 31 balls including eight sixes. In their last match, however, they regained confidence, scoring 180 for 8 and bowling Chennai Super Kings out for just 126.

Gujarat have not lost a game yet and have put in solid performances with both bat and the ball so far, scoring 161 and 171 in their previous two matches. Lockie Ferguson has been a key bowler for them so far, combining a low economy rate with four wickets in their previous fixture against Delhi Capitals.

^{Liam Livingstone is in good nick [screengrab/BCCI]}

What's the key match-up?

Punjab have a good top order, with Shikhar Dhawan and Mayank Agarwal both capable of taking advantage of the powerplay but it's Liam Livingstone who can really take the game away from the Titans. He made 60 off just 32 balls in their last fixture against Chennai and if he's allowed to get going it will be difficult to stop him scoring.

He will have his hands full with Lockie Ferguson, however, who regularly tops 90mph. He has a very effective slower ball and a nasty bouncer which helped him take four wickets against Delhi in his last outing. He will go head-to-head with Kagiso Rabada in the Punjab bowling attack. Rabada tends to be more expensive than Ferguson and has yet to truly make his mark with the ball in the tournament this year.

The Punjab batters will also have to deal with the ever-present threat of Rashid Khan and his famously effective googly.

Head-to-head record 

Matches played: 0

Punjab Kings wins: 0

Gujarat Titans wins: 0

What's the weather forecast?

It will be a sunny afternoon mixed with cloud in Mumbai with temperatures of around 33 degrees Celsius.

What are the squads?

Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odean Smith, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Prerak Mankad, Vaibhav Arora, Writtick Chatterjee, Baltej Dhanda, Ansh Patel, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Benny Howell

Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Abhinav Manahor, Rahul Tewatia, Noor Ahmad, R Sai Kishore, Dominic Drakes, Jayant Yadav, Viijay Shankar, Darshan Nalkande, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, Prandeep Sangwan, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Gurkeerat Singh, Varun Aaron

^{Rashid Khan of Gujarat Titans [screengrab/BCCI]}

What are the possible starting XIs?

Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, Odeon Smith, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Vaibhav Arora

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Abhinav Manahor, Rashid Khan, Varun Aaron, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammad Shami

What are the odds?

Both Bet365 and Paddy Power have Punjab Kings as the favourite at 8/11 whereas Gujarat Titans come at 11/10.

What's the prediction?

It’s a tough one with Gujarat's bowling being their strength and Punjab's batting being theirs but, because of their explosive top order, Punjab just sneak in as the more likely to win.

Where can I watch the game?

In the UK, Sky Sports have exclusive rights to this year's tournament, with matches available on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket.

Fans in India can watch all of the action on Star Sports.

Elsewhere in the world, viewers in Australia can watch the IPL on Fox Sports while in New Zealand, Sky Sport will provide coverage.

Willow TV and Flow Sports will broadcast the tournament in the United States and the Caribbean, respectively.

Fans in MENA can catch the action on beIN Sports while in South Africa, SuperSport have the rights.

The IPL can also be streamed on Disney+ and Hotstar in certain areas.