In Mullanpur, March 30, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, two Indian T20I batters who have often been overlooked, will captain Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings respectively, both eager to make a statement in the high-stakes Indian Premier League opener on Tuesday.
India's Test and ODI captain Gill, who was named T20I vice-captain but later removed from the World Cup squad to accommodate Sanju Samson, has a lot to prove in the shortest format.
While India won a record third ICC T20 World Cup, Gill enters this season at a crucial stage of his T20 career.
Since 2023, only Virat Kohli has scored more IPL runs than Gill, but the focus has shifted from consistency to strike rate. With a career T20 strike rate of around 138, Gill showed signs of improvement last season, scoring at over 155, and he will look to build on that.
With Matthew Hayden now part of the coaching staff as batting coach, Gill's six-hitting and aggressive approach at the top will be closely watched.
Since Hardik Pandya's exit after IPL 2023, Gill has grown into his leadership role, and the team now clearly revolves around him.
Gujarat Titans, who won the title in their debut season in 2022, have remained one of the most consistent sides, finishing third last year before losing to Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator.
They look like a settled unit again, retaining 20 players. The opening pair of Gill and Sai Sudharsan—last season's top scorer with 759 runs—remains their biggest strength.
Sudharsan is returning after a rib fracture but was in excellent form in domestic cricket, including an unbeaten 101 and multiple fifties before the injury.
GT also have exciting backup options like wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra, who impressed in domestic cricket with a strike rate of over 160 and an average above 60 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He would offer flexibility if the middle order struggles.
For Punjab Kings, much will again depend on captain Shreyas Iyer, a proven IPL leader who has now taken three different teams to the final (Delhi Capitals in 2020, KKR in their 2024 triumph, and PBKS last season).
Despite his consistent performances, Shreyas continues to be overlooked by the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar, having last played a T20I in December 2023.
The captain also led from the front last season, scoring 604 runs at a strike rate of over 175, which was the highest among the top-10 run-getters.
Yet, he failed to break into India's T20I XI in the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup, even after being called up as a replacement for Tilak Varma during the build-up to the home series against New Zealand.
Punjab's strength lies in their explosive Indian core.
Openers Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya were among the most destructive pairs last season, scoring 1,024 runs together at a strike rate of nearly 169.
However, both have had a relatively quiet Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, raising questions about their current form.
The middle order, featuring Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, and Suryansh Shedge, will be crucial, especially against a strong spin attack led by Rashid Khan.
PBKS will also have a new No. 3 in Australia's Cooper Connolly as a replacement for Josh Inglis, who was released ahead of IPL 2026 due to availability issues.
Connolly is expected to play as a specialist batter initially, as Cricket Australia has advised him to avoid bowling while recovering from a back problem.
Punjab will also be keen to improve their home record as, despite reaching the final last season, they had only two wins in five matches in New Chandigarh last year.