Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill are quite similar in several aspects. The most topical point among all their similarities would be the fact that both of them, despite being fantastic batters, have still not been able to convince the national selectors of their T20 skills.

That is why none of them was a part of India’s recent T20 World Cup-winning team.

The IPL offers them the perfect stage to prove their worth and vent their frustrations. Both being captains of their respective sides, their place in the playing XI are safe and so they have got about two months to show the world, and the Indian selectors, that their batting is good enough to earn them a place in T20 XIs beyond the IPL.

It is with that hunger that Shreyas and Shubman will take the field in Mullanpur on Tuesday, when they lead out their teams, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans, respectively.

Talking of hunger, Ricky Ponting, the Punjab Kings’ head coach, feels that Shreyas will not only be seeking runs with the bat personally in IPL 2026, but also be desperate to “go one step better” as a captain this year.

Punjab, under Shreyas’s leadership, was the standout team in last year’s IPL, topping the points table before falling short by six runs in the final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Ponting says that he sees immense trophy thirst in Shreyas’s eyes.

“The level of play that we saw from him (Shreyas) last year with the bat was probably as good as he’s ever had in an IPL and I can just see that hunger in his eyes, probably burning more than ever now.

“Having got so close as a captain with a new team last year, I’m sure that he’s very keen to go one step better this year,” Ponting said.

Gill will also have his eyes on the IPL trophy. The Titans won the title in 2022, but Hardik Pandya was the captain then. Gill will certainly want to cement his legacy at the Titans with the crown.

Like Punjab, the Titans too did well last season, making the playoffs.

On paper, the two teams are quite evenly matched. And it being the first outing of the season for them, it’s difficult to predict who will have the last laugh. Let’s just say, whoever is hungrier will win.

With inputs from PTI