Shreyas Iyer smashed 97* to lead Punjab Kings to an 11-run win over Gujarat Titans in a thrilling start to their 2025 IPL campaign.
Punjab Kings hold off Titans in high-scoring IPL clash
Punjab Kings kicked off their 2025 IPL campaign with an impressive 11-run win over Gujarat Titans on Tuesday night, prevailing in a high-scoring thriller at Ahmedabad thanks to a blistering captain’s knock from Shreyas Iyer.
Gujarat entered as -140.85 favourites with cricket sportsbooks, but early momentum shifted in Punjab’s favour after a powerful start in the powerplay.
Despite losing Prabhsimran Singh cheaply, Priyansh Arya (47 off 23) and Iyer (97* off 42) powered Kings to 73/1 by the sixth over.
A brief stumble followed, with Sai Kishore (3/30) sparking a mini-collapse by taking two wickets in two balls and reducing PBKS to 105/4.
But Iyer held firm and was well supported by Marcus Stoinis (20 off 15) and Shashank Singh (44 off 16), as Punjab blasted 135 runs in the final eight overs to finish at 243/5.
Chasing a daunting target, Gujarat made a strong start through Sai Sudharsan (74 off 41) and Shubman Gill (33 off 14), who put on 61 for the first wicket.
Jos Buttler then entered and combined with Sudharsan for a rapid 84-run stand, taking GT to 145/1 in the 13th over.
While Sudharsan’s dismissal slowed the innings slightly, Sherfane Rutherford (46 off 28) kept the pressure on.
However, Punjab’s bowlers turned the match in their favour during a key period from overs 15 to 17, conceding just 18 runs and removing Buttler in the process.
With 45 runs needed from the final 12 balls and a new batter at the crease, Gujarat’s chase fell apart, finishing short despite a strong effort.
“We got our chances when we were bowling and batting,” said Gujarat skipper Shubman Gill post-match.
“Too many runs we conceded in the back end of the innings. Those three overs in the middle, we scored around 18 runs. That, and our first three overs we didn’t score many runs. That cost us the game. Apart from that, many positives for us today.”
Punjab’s title odds have tightened following the result, now sitting at $8.50 with Neds.
Sunrisers Hyderabad remain tournament favourites at +333, ahead of Chennai Super Kings (+400), Mumbai Indians (+600), and Royal Challengers Bangalore (+700).
Gujarat have drifted to +1400, now sitting eighth in the market across leading IPL betting sites.
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