Eight runs off the first over! Decent start for GT. Sai collected a boundary on the fourth ball of Arshdeep Singh's bolwing. 

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

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

Gujarat Titans have handed caps to two debutants: Glenn Phillips and Ashok Sharma. Ashok, one of the fastest young bowlers in India, has been part of the Rajasthan Royals set-up previously but is yet to feature in an IPL match. The Titans' decision to pick the youngster comes as no surprise, especially after he was clocked at 150 kmph during this year's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT).

Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer has won the toss and opted to bowl against Gujarat Titans. Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett, Marcus Stoinis, and Marco Jansen. Gujarat Titans have confirmed two debutants, including Glenn Phillips. He joins Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, and Jos Buttler to round out their powerhouse overseas contingent.

We are just under 20 minutes away from toss in Mullanpur! Both sides will be desperate to win today to get a good start in the tournament.

The toss will be vital tonight as the team batting second often holds a better chance of winning here in Mullanpur. Interestingly, there hasn't been much dew during the evening training sessions over the past couple of days. The track does look a bit dry under a light grass cover, but it remains rock hard.

PBKS and GT have squared off six times in the IPL with three wins apiece. Both teams won their respective home matches last season. However, Punjab were notably vulnerable at home last year despite topping the table; they managed only two wins at their home ground during the 2025 campaign.

For PBKS coach Ricky Ponting, their squad this season is better from what it was last year. They will also have a new No. 3 in Australia's Cooper Connolly as a replacement for Josh Inglis, who was released ahead of IPL 2026 due to availability issues. Ponting feels Connolly's addition to the side gives more balance to the team.

Shubman Gill is 88 runs away from 5,500 runs in T20s. In the IPL, he has scored 3,866 runs in 115 innings. Gill will be eager to make a statement, having been dropped from the T20I side. Since 2023, only Virat Kohli has scored more IPL runs than him, but the focus has shifted from consistency to strike rate.

For Gujarat, they look one of the most settled units again, retaining 20 players. The opening pair of Gill and Sai Sudharsan -- last season's top scorer with 759 runs -- remains their biggest strength. Since lifting the title in 2022, GT have been one of the most consistent teams in the tournament.

The hunger to win the IPL trophy is burning more than ever now for Shreyas Iyer, who is keen to do one better in the 2026 season. However, much will again depend on captain Shreyas, a proven IPL leader who has now taken three different teams to the final (Delhi Capitals in 2020, KKR in their 2024 triumph and PBKS last season) and their explosive openers, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the IPL 2026 clash between Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans. It's the first game of the new campaign for both sides. Both had similar journeys last season, with Punjab finishing as runners-up, while GT bowed out in the playoffs.