3 player battles to watch out for in PBKS vs GT, Match 37 of IPL 2024 ft. Shubman Gill vs Arshdeep Singh 

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be hoping to break their tryst with close defeats when they take on the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Mullanpur on Sunday, April 21.

The two sides have a knack for producing thrillers and have already produced one this season when they faced each other in Ahmedabad. However, they are currently languishing in the bottom half of the table and are in dire need of inspiration to turn their campaign around.

PBKS pulled off a heist the last time they faced GT, with the world bearing witness to Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma's ability and impact. However, a lot has transpired since then for the Shikhar Dhawan-led side. They have not won a single match since then and are struggling to keep the team afloat amid all of the injury and form concerns.

GT are faring no better, having recently been skittled out for 89 in front of their fans against DC. They only have a miracle run chase against RR to show for their efforts and their campaign could take an ugly turn if they do not string together some wins under their belt.

On that note, let us take a look at three player battles to look out for in PBKS vs GT in IPL 2024.

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#1 Shubman Gill vs Arshdeep Singh

Two of the biggest prospects are currently finding it hard to rest their case for Team India's 2024 T20 World Cup playing XI. Gill and Arshdeep both are in desperate need for a monumental second half of the IPL and despite that, it might prove to be difficult, considering how their peers are performing.

Gill not only needs to step up for himself, but also for GT, given the franchise's well-documented over-reliance on him for runs. The opening batter has looked brilliant in flashes but has struggled for consistency, something which stuck with him last season.

Arshdeep Singh, on the other hand, has looked off-color, particularly with the new ball. The opening phase has usually been his point of strength, moving the ball both ways and giving his side early breakthroughs, but that has not been on show this season. Barring a solid spell of 4-29 against SRH, the left-arm pacer has not had much to show for, particularly in PBKS' new home venue.

The duo have come up against each other seven times in the shortest format, with Arshdeep claiming Gill's wicket on one occasion. The opening batter has scored 61 runs off 47 deliveries at a strike rate of 129.78 against the left-arm pacer.

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#2 Ashutosh Sharma vs Mohit Sharma

One of the hottest properties in the league currently, Ashutosh Sharma has been a revelation and a half. The newbie is arguably carrying the PBKS batting unit, which is now a blend of makeshift and underperforming candidates.

The explosive right-handed batter nearly won the game for PBKS against MI and is the chief reason why the side are losing the games only by a 'close' margin. He has been up against the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins, and Mohit Sharma in the recent past, and he will be up against the latter in the upcoming clash as well.

Mohit Sharma, arguably still one of the best death bowlers in the league, had a spirited battle against Sharma in the return fixture back in Ahmedabad. The right-arm pacer had more or less controlled the proceedings in his first over in the death phase but had leaked runs the second time around.

However, the Sharma derby, despite being rather shortlived was quite enticing. Ashutosh scored 14 runs off nine deliveries bowled by the veteran in their lone face-off so far.

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#3 Liam Livingstone vs Rashid Khan

Liam Livingstone began the tournament with a promising knock, but his form has waned of late, with the injury midway through the campaign not helping. However, he has a huge role to play in the crippled PBKS batting unit and has to step up to relieve some of the pressure on the overperforming lower middle order.

For Livingstone to prosper, he has to deal with Rashid Khan in the middle overs. The Afghanistan leg spinner is also not having the best of campaigns so far, having spoken about his struggles of hitting top gear after a lengthy injury layoff. He has taken seven wickets in the first half of the tournament at an average of 29 and an economy rate of 7.81.

The duo have faced each other across multiple franchise leagues in the world a total of 12 times. Livingstone has a slight upper hand after amassing 119 runs off 69 deliveries at a strike rate of 172.46 but has lost his wicket on four occasions to the leg-spinner, thrice in the IPL itself.