IPL 2025 Eliminator: Captain Shubman faces first big Test against resurgent Mumbai Indians

India Today

4 days ago

Newly appointed Test captain Shubman Gill will be facing his first stern test as Gujarat Titans take on Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator of the Indian Premier League. Gill, who has led GT from the front this season, scoring 649 runs from 14 games, will have his chance to prove his credentials as a captain in a high-pressure game this season.advertisementThe equation is fairly simple for both teams. You win, you go ahead in the tournament and face Punjab Kings in the Qualifier 2. You lose, you simply crash out of the competition. For Gujarat, it may seem a little harsh that their fate depends on just one single game in the IPL playoffs, given they had led the table for the majority of the tournament. However, a terrible loss of form in the final two group games of the season has meant that GT have been forced to settle in the Eliminator of the Indian Premier League.On the other hand, Mumbai Indians have nothing much to complain about. They made a sensational run in the second half of the tournament, recovering from a place where everyone thought that they would be crashing out. There was a point late in the season where they had a chance to qualify for the top spot in the table as well, but they squandered that position by losing their final two games of the season.advertisement
Mumbai and Gujarat have had very different styles of play in the IPL 2025. While Mumbai are very much dependent on at least two of their batters firing through the ranks, Gujarat are entirely dependent on their top order - Shubman, Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler - three of the top 10 run-scorers this season.Gujarat will not have the services of Jos Buttler, whose international duties have clashed with the IPL dates, which happened due to the forced break this season. Apart from Buttler, Gujarat do not have the services of fast bowler Kagiso Rabada as well, who has flown back to South Africa to start preparations for the World Test Championship 2025 Final.While Rabada is not that big a miss for GT, Buttler certainly is, as the success of the team now hinges on the openers in the do-or-die part of the tournament.Rohit's Last Hurrah?Mumbai, on the other hand, are a better-balanced team, at least on paper. They have fired through the ranks, with Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya scoring in a couple of games. However, their major runs have come through opener Ryan Rickelton and Suryakumar Yadav, who have been responsible for some glorious shot-making this season.advertisementMumbai will be missing Rickelton, who has flown off due to national duty, and that is expected to have a big impact on the game. The team has signed Jonny Bairstow as a replacement, but as cricket fans would know, Bairstow does not really have a good record in the IPL in the past couple of seasons.Having said that, the core of Mumbai Indians knows what it takes to win the big matches, and it is likely that they would come clutch once again.Their biggest weapon would perhaps be Jasprit Bumrah, who has the ability to tear apart teams, especially on a wicket like Mullanpur, which assisted fast bowling in the Qualifier 1 between PBKS and RCB.Mumbai's chances will be directly linked to Rohit Sharma's performance on Friday. A good start from Rohit would make life a lot easier for the batters to follow. In case Rohit gets out early, there are chances that the MI innings would get stuck in a limbo on the potentially tricky surface that will be offered on Friday.2024 and 2025 have also been the years where Rohit has called time on his T20I and Test career, so the batter would like to make the most of the opportunities he gets, just in case he decides to hang up the boots before the next season.advertisementGT vs MI: Head-to-HeadGT have won five out of seven matches against MI since the two teams first met in 2022. In fact, the Titans are on a four-match winning streak against the five-time champions.GT vs MI: RECENT RESULTSThe Titans haven't had the best of times of late. They finished the league stage with defeats to the Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The losses meant that not only did GT lose their top spot, but slipped out of the top two.MI, on the other hand, lost to the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by seven wickets in their previous game and lost the golden chance of finishing in the top two.GT AND MI: PLAYOFFS RECORDGT Matches played - 2, Lost 1, Won 2MI Matches played - 13, Lost 6, Won 7IPL Qualifier 1: Pitch and weather forecast in MullanpurThe pitch in Mullanpur was heavily biased towards the bowlers in the Qualifier 1. In the opening overs there was ample amount of seam movement, and later there was grip and turn for the spinners. However, in PBKS vs RCB, opener Phil Salt showed that there were runs on board in the wicket once the batter settled down after the initial burst from the fast bowlers.advertisementThere is no chance of rain on the day of the Eliminator, although intermittent clouds will be there throughout. Temperatures will be around the 33-degree Celsius mark with the humidity in the 30s and 40s.GT vs MI: Team News for IPL 2025 EliminatorBoth Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans will be without several key players. MI will miss the services of Ryan Rickelton, Corbin Bosch, and Will Jacks, but have brought in Jonny Bairstow, Charith Asalanka, and Richard Gleeson as replacements.GT, meanwhile, will be without the experienced Jos Buttler, with Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis stepping in. The Titans will also miss fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, though they didn't announce his replacement.GT vs MI: Predicted XIs and Impact SubsGT XI: Shubman Gill (c), Kusal Mendis (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, Gerald Coetzee, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh KrishnaImpact Sub: Sai SudharsanMI XI: Jonny Bairstow (wk), Rohit Sharma, Charith Asalanka, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit BumrahadvertisementImpact Sub: Ashwani KumarGT vs MI: PLAYERS TO WATCHSai Sudharsan (GT)Sai Sudharsan is in the form of his life, currently holding the Orange Cap with 679 runs at an average of 52.23. The left-hander has combined caution with aggression, maintaining an impressive strike rate of 155.37 at the top of the order.Shubman Gill (GT)Shubman Gill isn't far behind, sitting second on the list of top run-scorers. He has amassed 649 runs at an average of 54.08 and has led the Titans from the front throughout the tournament.Prasidh Krishna (GT)While most GT bowlers have struggled, Prasidh Krishna has remained consistent. He ranks second in the Purple Cap race with 23 wickets and maintains a respectable economy rate of 7.90.Suryakumar Yadav (MI)Suryakumar Yadav has been in sublime form, standing out as MI's best batter with 640 runs at an average of 74.11. Dismissing him early will be key for GT to apply pressure on Mumbai.Jasprit Bumrah (MI)Despite missing a few early games, Jasprit Bumrah quickly found his rhythm. He has picked up 17 wickets, and his outstanding economy rate of 6.33 reflects the caution with which batters have approached him.Stay updated on IPL 2025 with India Today! Get match schedules, team squads, live score, and the latest IPL points table for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Plus, keep track of the top contenders for the IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap. 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