IPL 2026: In-form Kings look to secure dominating victory over Titans

Shreyas Iyer

Gujarat Titans's home match against Punjab Kings on Sunday will be played on a black soil pitch, where the Mumbai Indians top order had struggled and Tilak Varma's death over onslaught had given them a respectable total of 199 last month.

However, the PBKS top order is in great form currently and aren't too worried about the seaming strip at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium. "We play a different brand of cricket compared to the others. It's fearless. We go all out. So, there are certain plans in place," PBKS assistant bowling coach Trevor Gonsalves said during the pre-match press conference on Saturday.

PBKS assistant bowling coach Trevor Gonsalves

"I had a look at the wicket and yes, we are expecting a little bit of bounce on it," said Gonsalves, adding that Kiwi pacer Lockie Ferguson was back and would replace Xavier Bartlett in the playing XI. "Lockie's a big guy, and he was always in our starting line-up. Bartlett was also a little expensive in the last two games."

Meanwhile, GT's confidence is high after their win over the Royal Challengers Bengaluru last Thursday. And despite the poor form of their middle order batters, assistant coach Aashish Kapoor revealed that there is not much scope for changes.

"We will see tonight or tomorrow morning what changes need to be made. It's very easy to make changes, but if that's the case then teams that are going for 220, 240, and 260 should also be making changes in their bowling for every second game, and if this happens then even 25 players [in a squad] will not be enough," he said.