The last time Gujarat Titans faced Punjab Kings in an Indian Premier League fixture, Rahul Tewatia hit two sixes off the last two deliveries to seal the deal for the new entrant.
And when the two teams meet at the D.Y. Patil Stadium on Tuesday, Gujarat Titans, which has won eight out of nine games, will once again be pinning its hopes on Tewatia. After being roped in by Titans for a whopping ₹9 crore in the auction, the all-rounder from Haryana has justified his price tag, emerging as one of the match-winners for the franchise.
Titans have fired in every department, under the watchful eyes of captain Hardik Pandya. While Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill have made their presence felt as openers, the middle-order has been looked after well by captain Hardik, David Miller and Rashid Khan. Coming into the tournament after a long break, Hardik has so far amassed 308 runs in the tournament and has led the side from the front.
Area of concern
Punjab Kings, on the other hand, has been inconsistent with five defeats in nine outings and it needs to regroup in a bid to stay in contention for the playoffs spot. Even though captain Mayank Agarwal, batters Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone have done well in patches, consistency has been an area of concern.
While pacer Arshdeep Singh has impressed, seasoned campaigners Kagiso Rabada and Rahul Chahar need to shoulder more responsibility.
