GT vs PBKS: Shreyas Iyer Powers Punjab To A Dominant Victory

In the fifth match of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2025, Punjab Kings won against Gujarat Titans by 11 runs. The match was held in Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Toss: Gujarat won the toss and elected to bowl first

First Innings:

Hoping on the dew factor, GT skipper Shubman Gill elected to bowl first. Shreyas Iyer and his team utilised this opportunity well and posted a huge total on the board. Thanks to a scintillating knock by Shreyas (97*), handy innings from debutant Priyansh Arya (47) in the beginning and Shashank Singh (44* off 16) in the end, Punjab made 243/5 in 20 overs. Shashank’s blistering cameo in the end, where he scored 22 runs of Siraj’s last over, helped Punjab post such a huge total. Apart from Sai Kishore (3/30), none of the Gujarat bowlers was able to make a mark.

Second Innings:

Gujarat started off this humongous chase on a dull note. It lost the wicket of skipper Shubman Gill right at the end of the powerplay. Later, Jos Buttler (54) and Sai Sudarshan (74) built a partnership and took the team back on track. But when Arshdeep Singh got Sudarshan’s wicket, the momentum was broken. Later, Buttler also got out after scoring a fifty. Apart from a few middle overs, Gujarat was never really in the chase and ended their innings at 232/5 in 20 overs. Arshdeep Singh impressed with his effective spell (2/36).

In a nutshell:

Despite losing the toss, Punjab posted a dominant total on the scoreboard. Captain Shreyas Iyer, who was bought for Rs. 26.75 crore, did justice to his price as a captain and player right in the first game. Young Priyansh Arya showed promise, and Shashank Singh repeated his finishing prowess in the end. Gujarat chose a lazy approach in chasing this mammoth total. Sai Sudarshan took time to shift the gears, and his approach cost his team in the end. Had GT scored above 90 in the powerplay, the chase would have been interesting. It’s high time for them to reflect on their batting approach. On the other side, Punjab Kings will be satisfied with this all-round performance, despite a few hiccups in the middle of the game.

Scorecard: Punjab – 243/5 (20 overs) & GT – 232/5 (20 overs)

Up Next: Gujarat will take on Mumbai Indians on March 29, and Punjab will play against Lucknow Super Giants on April 1.