The Punjab Kings (PBKS) take on the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Match 4 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International
Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Tuesday, March 31.
Punjab Kings come into 2026 on the back of a brilliant season in 2025, where they made the final for the first time since 2014 but fell short against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. They were one of the strongest teams in the previous year, finishing at the top of the table in the league stage.
Coach Ricky Ponting and captain Shreyas Iyer have built a well-balanced squad with a settled team that covers all bases, has multiple solid batting and bowling options, and has equally capable backups for everyone. They have not been affected by the ongoing injury crisis in the tournament but will miss the services of Lockie Ferguson, who is on paternity leave.
Here is PBKS’ strongest predicted XI vs GT, Match 4, IPL 2026:
Top Order: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly
Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya were one of the most prolific opening pairs of the 2025 season. The two got the Punjab Kings off to flying starts, setting up platforms for the middle order to succeed. The pair had 532 runs in 17 innings, striking at over 175 as a pair. They are expected to keep their places, and kick on from where they left off in 2025. Prabhsimran is also expected to take the gloves.
At number 3, as confirmed by the PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting, it will be Cooper Connolly. The highly rated Australian all-rounder comes off a successful Big Bash League campaign with the Perth Scorchers. Despite his career strike rate only being close to 130, his potential is undoubted, and he is a player touted to be a future star.
Middle order: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis
Shreyas Iyer was Punjab’s backbone with the bat. Coming in at number 4, his ability to not just play spinners, but take them down was vital for Punjab in the middle of the innings. He finished the season with 604 runs, the most for the Punjab Kings in 2025, and is expected to continue the role.
Iyer is expected to be followed by Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh. Wadhera acts as a stabiliser in the middle for high-pressure situations while also being a skilled hitter of pace bowling, and Shashank SIngh has proved his mettle as a finisher. Marcus Stoinis follows in a revamped finisher role. He is one of the destructive batters in the format, and Punjab got the significant returns in the back end from his blade.
Bowlers: Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Ben Dwarshius, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal (Impact Player)
Punjab had one of the most balanced and feared bowling attacks in 2025. The big guns, Arshdeep Singh and Marco Jansen, are expected to lead the attack, with the experience and death-bowling prowess of Ben Dwarshius backing them up. Harpreet Brar is expected to be the spinner in the line-up for his skilled defensive and economical bowling.
Jansen is also a capable batter, being able to hold his own while also taking on the bowlers in the back end of the innings. Both Dwarshius and Harpreet Brar can hit a long ball as well. Meanwhile, Chahal, the leading wicket-taker in the history of the tournament, is back for another stretch. Picking up 16 wickets in 14 games, he showed his prowess as a prolific wicket-taker, with key breakthroughs at important stages of the game.
His best performance came against the Kolkata Knight Riders, picking up 4/28 in a defence of a paltry 111. He is expected as the lead spinner for the Punjab Kings, with his experience and craft coming to the fore.
Punjab Kings Predicted Playing XI
Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (C), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Ben Dwarshius, Arshdeep Singh
Impact Player: Yuzvendra Chahal.
