Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya has decided to bat first in the IPL 2025 Eliminator against Gujarat Titans (GT). This match comes just a day after Punjab Kings (PBKS) were dismissed for 101 in Qualifier 1 at the same ground. However, a fresh pitch with minimal grass cover is being used tonight.
The match sees several changes, with overseas players unavailable due to international commitments. Jonny Bairstow and Richard Gleeson make their first appearances for MI in this campaign, and Kusal Mendis debuts for GT. Bairstow and Gleeson replace Ryan Rickelton and Will Jacks for MI, while Mendis comes in for Jos Buttler in the GT line-up.
MI made tactical changes to bolster their team, bringing in seam-bowling allrounder Raj Bawa in place of swing bowler Deepak Chahar, who might still be nursing a hamstring injury from MI’s last encounter against PBKS. GT, contemplating the potential dry conditions, opted for spin-bowling allrounder Washington Sundar, replacing seam-bowling allrounder Arshad Khan.
Talking about the changes, MI coach explained, “We’re adapting to the conditions and balancing our side accordingly.” On the opposition’s challenges, analyst Tom Moody observed, “GT might have a bit more to figure out than MI at this stage.”
Mumbai Indians Line-up:
1. Rohit Sharma, 2. Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3. Tilak Varma, 4. Suryakumar Yadav, 5. Naman Dhir, 6. Hardik Pandya (capt), 7. Raj Bawa, 8. Mitchell Santner, 9. Trent Boult, 10. Jasprit Bumrah, 11. Richard Gleeson.
Impact substitutes: Krishnan Shrijith, Raghu Sharma, Robin Minz, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley.
Gujarat Titans Line-up:
1. Shubman Gill (capt), 2. B Sai Sudharsan, 3. Kusal Mendis (wk), 4. M Shahrukh Khan, 5. Washington Sundar, 6. Rahul Tewatia, 7. Rashid Khan, 8. R Sai Kishore, 9. Gerald Coetzee, 10. Mohammed Siraj, 11. Prasidh Krishna.
Impact substitutes: Sherfane Rutherford, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Jayant Yadav, Arshad Khan.
Fans and analysts alike await the outcome of these strategic adjustments as both teams compete to advance further in the tournament.
