Gujarat Titans bowl first as Nishant Sindhu earns IPL debut in 2026

Gujarat Titans chose to bowl first against Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad, with captain Shubman Gill expecting favorable conditions for his pace attack.

GT captain sets bowling plan Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill decided to field first against IPL leaders Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad. He anticipated early assistance for his fast bowlers from a black-soil pitch that featured patches of grass. Gill’s decision marked a strategic shift for the home side, aiming to exploit the surface’s characteristics. The captain’s call set the stage for a high-stakes encounter between two top-tier teams. ## Debut cap for Nishant Sindhu Gujarat Titans handed a debut to left-arm spinner-batter Nishant Sindhu, who was part of India’s victorious Under-19 World Cup squad in 2022. Sindhu replaced out-of-form batter M Shahrukh Khan in the middle order, with the latter also overlooked for the Impact Player role. Rahul Tewatia remained the likely substitute for the chase phase of the match. The inclusion of Sindhu added depth to a Gujarat side looking to bounce back from recent setbacks. ## PBKS tweak bowling line-up Punjab Kings made a change to their pace attack, replacing Lockie Ferguson with Xavier Bartlett for the Ahmedabad fixture. Ferguson struggled in his opening game of the season, which saw Punjab suffer their first loss against Rajasthan Royals. Vijaykumar Vyshak was named as the probable Impact Player option for Punjab’s bowling phase. The adjustment aimed to strengthen their attack against Gujarat’s formidable batting lineup. ## Middle-order reshuffle for PBKS Shashank Singh missed his second consecutive game for Punjab, with Suryansh Shedge retaining his spot in the middle order. The absence of Singh came after he was unavailable for the match against Rajasthan Royals. Shedge continued to feature prominently as a key batter in Punjab’s lineup. The team’s top-order stability remained intact with Shedge’s inclusion. ## IPL standings under scrutiny Punjab Kings entered the game leading the IPL standings with 13 points from eight matches played. A Gujarat Titans victory would compress the top half of the table, as teams in second, third, fourth, and fifth places all held 12 points each. The potential shuffle in rankings added extra significance to the fixture. Every point would be crucial in the tight race for playoff spots. ## Gujarat Titans full XI Gujarat Titans named their XI with Shubman Gill as captain. The lineup included Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, and Manav Suthar. Rahul Tewatia, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Kumar Kushagra, and Kulwant Kejroliya formed the Impact Player bench. The squad reflected a mix of experience and emerging talent for the encounter. ## Punjab Kings starting XI Punjab Kings revealed their playing XI with Prabhsimran Singh as wicketkeeper. The team was led by Shreyas Iyer, with Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Suryansh Shedge, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, and Yuzvendra Chahal completing the lineup. Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Musheer Khan, and Mitchell Owen were named as Impact Player options. The selection reflected a blend of youth and seasoned performers.