Captain Iyer guides Punjab Kings to IPL opening win over Gujarat
Punjab Kings got their 2025 IPL underway with a victory over Gujarat Titans on Tuesday, winning a high-scoring affair in Ahmedabad by 11 runs off the back of a captain’s knock by Shreyas Iyer.
Cricket bookmakers priced Gujarat as $1.71 favourites heading into match five of the competition, but a strong start by Kings soon swung live betting odds in their favour.
After losing Prabhsimran Singh (5 from 8) early, Priyansh Arya (47 from 23) and Iyer (97 from 42) raced out to 1/73 by the end of the powerplay.
While Arya fell soon after, Iyer would go on to bat for the remainder of the innings and muscle PBKS through to a healthy total of 5/243.
The score looked unlikely after Sai Kishore (3/30) took two wickets in two balls to leave Kings reeling at 4/105 in the 11th over.
However, handy cameos by Marcus Stoinis (20 from 15) and Shashank Singh (44 from 16) alongside Iyer ensured that the final eight overs went for 135 runs.
In response, GT started well but tailed off to fall just short of Punjab’s target.
Sai Sudharsan (74 from 41) and Shubman Gill (33 from 14) began solidly, moving through to 61 without loss before Gill fell on the penultimate ball of the powerplay.
English import Jos Buttler (54 from 33) then came to the crease and combined with Sudharsan for a fast-paced 84-run stand.
At 1/145 after 12.2 overs, GT were in the box seat to pull off an unlikely chase.
While Sudharsan fell in the 13th over, Sherfane Rutherford (46 from 28) kept the momentum going to keep Gujarat in with a chance.
Ultimately the match was decided by one tight patch of bowling, where Punjab went for just 18 runs in overs 15-17.
This forced the wicket of Buttler in the 18th over, and with 45 runs needed from 12 balls with a new batter at the crease, the mountain was too high and GT fell short.
“We got our chances when we were bowling and batting,” losing captain Gill reflected.
“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.”
PBKS’s odds of winning the 2025 IPL have shortened as a result of their opening victory, with BetOnline setting them at $8.50.
Sunrisers Hyderabad ($4.33) are favourites to take out the title still, while Chennai Super Kings ($5), Mumbai Indians ($7) and Royal Challengers Bangalore ($8) all sit ahead of PBKS too.
Gujarat are back on the eighth line of betting, priced at $15 by leading IPL betting sites.
