Shashank Singh missed out again as the Punjab Kings face the Gujarat Titans in their reverse fixture of the Indian Premier League 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. After a win over the Titans in their tournament opener, the table-leaders Kings are looking for a double against the Shubman Gill-led team.ย
GT captain Gill won the toss and opted to bowl first. Shashank was not part of the PBKS team yet again, after having missed the game against the Rajasthan Royals on April 28. Shashank’s change was a forced change for the game against the RR, and it seems that he is still not available to play the game against the GT. Iyer did not reveal anything about Shashank, but as his change was a forced one in the last game, it seems to be the same case that he is not available.
Sindhu makes IPL debut for GT
Meanwhile, spin all-rounder Nishant Sindhu makes his much-awaited debut to the IPL, having been on the fringes since 2023. Sindhu, a U19 World Cup winner of the 2022 batch, was with the Chennai Super Kings in 2023 and 2024 but did not get a game. He moved to GT in 2025 and is now playing his first game in 2026. “We’re gonna bowl first. I think we have been chasing well in the past few games, and our bowling has been top-notch, so we thought we would continue with the momentum,” GT captain Gill said at the toss.
“(Middle-order performing in the last game) Yeah, definitely in the last match, we spoke about our middle-order finishing the game, and I think our Rahul bhai, batting in the middle, it was magnificent [to] watch, and him finishing the game was exactly what we talked about. (What do you make of pitch?) Yeah, I think initially to start with, there’s something in it for the bowlers, particularly on this kind of a wicket.ย
“So hopefully we’ll also see how it pans out. (What mark would you give the GT so far this season?) I think it’s all about, especially in a tournament like IPL, such a long tournament, it’s all about peaking at the right time, and I think we are doing that. And I still feel our best game is yet to come, so I hope it’s gonna be this one. (No changes?) One change – Nishant Sindhu makes his debut,” he said.
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