Today is the 18th match of IPL 16 series, today match will be played between Punjab Kings(PBKS) vs Gujarat Titans(GT) in Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali

Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans, 18th Match

Rinku Singh did to Gujarat Titans an extreme version of what they did to teams last year. In fact, their next opponents, Punjab Kings, last year had every reason to believe they had done enough when they got Hardik Pandya first ball of the last over with 18 still to get, but Rahul Tewatia won Titans the match with two sixes off the last two balls.

When Titans come up against Kings in Mohali on Thursday, they will have to quickly bounce back from the five-sixes finish from Rinku, which lost them what seemed an unlosable game. Kings, coming off a loss themselves, will try to cash in on any residual effect of the defeat Titans suffered.

On the line in this match is a ticket into the early top three. Both teams have won two games each in their first three matches. Titans have looked the more formidable side, but Kings will look to use their home advantage to the fullest.

Team news:

After a long wait, Liam Livingstone is finally in Mohali and training at the nets. If he plays, this will be his first formal cricket match since he jarred his knee on Test debut in Pakistan in December. He should take Matt Short’s place in the XI. There might be temptation to play Kagiso Rabada, but Nathan Ellis has not done badly at all. If they bat first, Kings could think of bringing one of them in as Impact Player.

Hardik Pandya was unwell and missed the last match, but should be available for this encounter

In the last match, Kings started without Sikandar Raza to see if they could squeeze in Rabada during the second innings. A collapse with the bat meant Raza had to be substituted in. Now, though, Livingstone’s arrival could make Kings go with a more conventional side.

Hardik should replace Abhinav Manohar in the bat-first XI while it remains to be seen if they show faith in Yash Dayal or give him a break after that fateful last over to Rinku. It is not a bad time to introduce the impressive left-arm spinner, R Sai Kishore. Their Impact Player scene seems sorted: Sai Sudharsan starts if they bat first, Josh Little if they field.

Now let’s talk about yesterday’s match (CSK) vs (RR)

The RR players have held their nerves, to win by only 3 runs! Dhoni and Jadeja tried their best but couldn’t pull off a fairytale win for CSK! Gaikwad got out early but Conway and Rahane stitched a 50-run stand together, keeping the scoreboard ticking. But, the spinners were getting grip and turn as expected and they kept the run rate in check. It was always going to be a battle against spin on this track and Chahal and Ashwin rose to the occasion.

In their combined 8 overs, they only conceded 52 runs and took 4 wickets. CSK kept losing wickets due to the asking rate rising but Jadeja and Dhoni gave the hosts a last ray of hope! 40 was needed off the last 2 overs! Holder was taken away for 19 runs in the penultimate over. 20 was needed off the last over and Dhoni would have backed himself. Sandeep missed his mark and he was hit for two consecutive sixes. But, he delivered yorkers when it was needed and Dhoni couldn’t finish it off. Stick around for the presentations.