Gujarat Titans will be batting first as they begin their IPL 2026 campaign against the Punjab Kings at Mullanpur on Tuesday. The two teams had a bunch of fresh faces taking the field, with the likes of Cooper Connolly and Ashok Sharma. Glenn Phillips is also making a debut for his new franchise.
Ashok Sharma
The breakaway star from the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Gujarat Titans have shown a lot of faith in the fast bowler. His ability to bowl fast has been on display, as he was leading the wicket charts in SMAT. He was named in the XI ahead of last year's Purple Cap winner Prasidh Krishna, who is expected to feature as an impact sub.
Cooper Connolly
A spin all-rounder from Australia, Cooper Connolly will bat at No.3 for the Punjab Kings and only feature as a batsman. He has starred in the Big Bash League, but had a forgetful T20 World Cup campaign. Connolly replaces Josh Inglis who was released ahead of the season.
Glenn Phillips
Glenn Phillips will be making his first appearance for the Gujarat Titans on Tuesday. The Kiwi spent the entire season on the bench last year with Gill and Co preferring Sherfane Rutherford ahead. He now plays with the West Indian traded to the Mumbai Indians.
GT 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
PBKS Playing XI: Prabhsimran Singh, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
