Can Liam Livingstone's return help Punjab Kings beat Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2023 match today?
Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be on their home ground at IS Bindra stadium in Mohali today, competing against the defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT), who had an earth-shattering loss in the last match against KKR.
Not just GT, even Punjab had to suffer a humiliating defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their last match, as the Shikhar Dhawan-led side lost the match by 8 wickets, with 17 balls to spare.
The two teams have crossed each other's paths only twice last year, and they have a 1-1 figure as of now.
For today’s match, GT might be the stronger opponent, as it has the likes of Rashid Khan, who took a hat-trick in the last match; and Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya and David Miller. But the good news for Punjab and what ultimately makes it an equal force in the match is the return of their star all-rounder Liam Livingstone, and presence Sam Curran, the most expensive buy at this year's auction.
Liam Livingstone returns
Liam Livingstone's return to cricket - after suffering a knee injury during his Test debut in Pakistan - will be a good news for Punjab. Livingstone was seen training in the nets in Mohali and his presence in the side would make the middle order batting more powerful.
The all-rounder was the most expensive buy of PBKS last year as he was roped in at Rs 11.50 crore. Known for his power hitting and an aggressive game in T20 cricket, Livingstone is exactly what Punjab needed.
Last year, he scored 437 runs in 14 matches at a strike-rate of 182.08.
As a leg-spinner, Livingstone comes quite handy in the middle overs and last season too, he clinched 6 wickets in 14 matches.
Along with Sam Curran, Livingstone can turn around the fortunes of Punjab in the match against Gujarat Titans.
Pitch report
The Mohali pitch is considered a batter's pitch, though it also favours the fast bowlers, giving them adequate pace and bounce at the start of the innings. But as the game progresses, and the ball gets old, batters get comfortable as the ball easily gets on to the bat.
The batting-first side will have to target a score of 190+ to defend it in the second innings.
Overall, it's going to be a battle of batters today in Mohali and the team winning the toss would be willing to chase the score.
The reason is, 32 out of 57 games in Mohali have been won by the chasing team while 25 games have been won by team batting first. With the Impact Player rule, the team batting first would look to score 190+ runs to defend them in the second innings.
Key players of Gujarat Titans: If we look at the batting line-up and current forms of Gujarat Titans (GT) players, then Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, David Miller and Hardik Pandya will be big challenges for Punjab Kings bowlers.
Add to that the cameo by Rashid Khan, who is known for his unusual cricketing shots that get the ball across the boundary lines.
Sai Sudarshan and Vijay Shankar are in their best form, and we can expect them to hold the innings for Gujarat today.
What does Punjab have to counter GT: Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone and Shikhar Dhawan will be the key batters from Punjab today.
Apart from these, opener Prabhsimran Singh, who looks in very good form, can also throw in a surprise as he is also hitting the ball well.
Sikandar Raza might not play today and Kagiso Rabada might replace him.
Who has the edge: It will be a neck-to-neck fight between the two teams and Liam Livingstone’s return can set the game for Punjab Kings today, bringing them on the winning track again.