The tone was set early when GT captain Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to bowl, hoping to exploit early conditions at the massive Ahmedabad venue.
However, PBKS had other plans. Openers Prabhsimran Singh and debutant Priyansh Arya provided a fiery start, racing to 73/1 in the powerplay. Arya, playing his first IPL match, smashed 47 off just 23 balls, including a flurry of boundaries and sixes, before falling to Kagiso Rabada. His aggressive approach against GT’s pace-heavy attack signaled PBKS’s fearless mindset.
Shreyas Iyer then took center stage, walking in at No. 3 and unleashing a masterclass. The PBKS skipper hammered 97* off 42 balls, striking at an astonishing 230.95, with 9 sixes and 5 fours. His onslaught was complemented by Shashank Singh, who played a crucial cameo of 44* off 16 balls (6 fours, 2 sixes). The duo’s unbroken 81-run stand off just 36 balls in the death overs propelled PBKS to 243/5, a total that looked daunting on a pitch known for favoring batsmen but also offering some late assistance to bowlers.
GT’s bowlers struggled to contain the onslaught. Mohammed Siraj (1/47) and Prasidh Krishna (0/55) were expensive, while Rabada (1/40) and Rashid Khan (1/38) picked up wickets but couldn’t stem the flow of runs. The Titans’ death bowling, in particular, came under scrutiny as PBKS plundered 68 runs in the last four overs.
