Punjab Kings’ ‘Sarpanch’ Shreyas Iyer and Punjab’s home-grown star Shubman Gill, who is the skipper of Gujarat Titans, will be eager to start their IPL campaigns with a big win here on Tuesday. Apart from keeping their focus on winning the title, the two players will have a point to prove, having lost their place in the Indian T20 squad. Both missed the T20 World Cup, which the Indian team won.Punjab Kings will enter the match with many options on their platter. In the last edition, a revamped group coached by Ricky Ponting helped Punjab reach the final. Iyer, who led from the front with 604 runs at a strike rate of over 175, will carry huge responsibility this year as well. “To be honest, we haven’t really spoken much about last season. It’s always nice to reflect on what was a great year, but the reality of professional sport is that it holds no weight once a new campaign begins, everyone starts at zero,” said Ponting. “My vision for this group is simple and aggressive: I want our batters to post 250 and our bowlers to have the clinical edge to keep the opposition under 200,” he added.He also said that Tuesday’s match will be played on a track on which the side won last time. “The conditions here are really favourable, we will be playing on Pitch 4, the track we are expecting to get good with the batters,” said Ponting. 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. The middle order will have Shashank Singh and Suryansh Shedge.Harpreet Brar will also carry high hopes both with the ball and bat. The side will also have Australia’s Cooper Connolly, and Ponting knows how the Australian can become a trump card for the side. “We have options to make him play at 4, or for that matter of fact, he can be promoted. He brings a lot of strength for the side, and this is what we are looking ahead this year,” he said.Punjab will be keen to improve their home record as they had only two wins in five matches here last year.While all eyes will be on Gill, the newly appointed Gujarat batting coach Matthew Hayden believes that the Punjab lad carries a different charm. 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. “He is someone who carries a good charm across the dressing room. I have seen him playing, he comes with vast experience and moreover with lot of calibre,” said Hayden.After Hardik Pandya’s exit, Gill has grown into his leadership role. In Mullanpur especially, Gill is known as the leader who knows how to use his resources. Having won the title in their debut season in 2022, Gujarat Titans have remained one of the most consistent sides, finishing third last year before losing to Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator. The opening pair of Gill and Sai Sudharsan (last season’s top scorer with 759 runs) remains their biggest strength.