New Chandigarh, March 31 (NationPress) In a thrilling start to match four of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, the Punjab Kings have won the toss and opted to bowl first against the Gujarat Titans at the PCA New International Cricket Stadium this Tuesday. The Punjab Kings had a remarkable run in IPL 2025, finishing as runners-up, which stands as one of their finest performances in the tournament’s history.

Conversely, the Gujarat Titans also had a commendable IPL 2025, securing the 3rd position in the league stage under the leadership of Shubman Gill. However, they fell short in the Eliminator, losing to the Mumbai Indians by 20 runs.

Interestingly, these teams kicked off their seasons against one another in 2025, with Punjab Kings emerging victorious by 11 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

After the toss, Punjab Kings' captain Shreyas Iyer remarked, "We are choosing to bowl first. I strongly believe that chasing allows you to better gauge how to approach the target. We’ve had some practice matches, and whatever totals were set were easily chased down. With that in mind, I made this decision. We had an exceptional previous season and must focus on the present. We need to deliver our best style of cricket. Our overseas players include Cooper, Stoinis, Bartlett, and Marco Jansen."

In contrast, after losing the toss, Shubman Gill of the Gujarat Titans stated, "The pitch appears quite favorable. It has experienced intermittent rain over the last two days, suggesting it will be a good batting surface. Last year, we enjoyed a solid season. We have two debutants in our lineup—Glenn and Ashok Sharma. Our squad also includes Jos, Glenn, Rashid, and Rabada. I am confident that Buttler will have a fantastic season for us."

Throughout IPL history, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans have faced off six times, with both teams fiercely competing; the head-to-head record stands at three wins each.

Playing XIs:

Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

Impact substitutes: Priyansh Arya, Harpreet Brar, Praveen Dubey, Vishnu Vinod, Suryansh Shedge

Gujarat Titans: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, M Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Ashok Sharma, Mohammed Siraj

Impact substitutes: Prasidh Krishna, Jason Holder, Jayant Yadav, Manav Suthar, Kumar Kushagra