IPL 2025, GT vs MI preview: Can Hardik Pandya's return ignite Mumbai Indians comeback against Gujarat Titans?
Gujarat Titans face Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025 after both teams lost their opening matches.
FollowGujarat Titans will take on Mumbai Indians in the ninth match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, March 29.
Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians did not have an ideal start to their campaign as they lost their respective opening matches. Shubman Gill-led Titans suffered a narrow 11-run defeat against Punjab Kings. Chasing a 244-run target, Gujarat Titans were restricted to 232/5 despite fiery batting by Sai Sudharsan (74) and Jos Buttler (54) at the top. Sherfane Rurtherford (46) anchored the innings at the death but his struggle against Vyshak Vijay Kumar’s bowling and his dismissal led to their defeat.
On the other hand Mumbai Indians led by Suryakumar Yadav lost to their long-time rivals Chennai Super Kings by four wickets. After posting a total of 155/9, MI failed to defend it as CSK chased down a 156-run target with five balls to spare. However, Mumbai Indians unearthed a new talent, Vignesh Puthur, who caught the attention of the fans and experts with his bowling brilliance. In his debut IPL match, Puthur registered figures of 3/32 at an economy rate of 8 in his four overs spell.
IPL 2025, GT vs MI preview: Hardik Pandya’s return and Rohit Sharma’s form
In the Mumbai Indians opening match against Chennai Super Kings, Hardik Pandya was not part of the playing XI as he was serving a one-match ban from IPL 2024 due to slow over-rate offences. In the upcoming match against Gujarat Titans, Hardik is set to make his return, which will be a huge boost for Mumbai Indians.
Hardik Pandya’s absence in the match against Chennai Super Kings was very much felt when MI struggled in the middle overs of their batting, where they scored just 48 runs between 7th and 14th overs. Mumbai Indians missed his ability to accelerate the scoring rate and play the role of a finisher. With the all-rounder set to feature in the playing XI against Gujarat Titans after serving a one-match game, MI will hope that his presence fosters their batting depth and add much-needed firepower in the middle overs.
Another key factor for Mumbai Indians is Rohit Sharma’s form. The veteran batter had a forgettable outing, as he was dismissed for a three-ball duck against Chennai Super Kings. With this, Rohit achieved the unwanted record for the joint-most ducks in the IPL. Considering his vast experience and match-winning ability.
IPL 2025, GT vs MI preview: Gujarat Titans’ death bowling woes
The most concerning part of Gujarat Titans, which was evident in their opening match against Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad was their struggles in the death overs with the ball. In the death overs, between 16th and 20th over, Sai Kishore, Prasidh Krishna, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, and Mohammed Siraj gave a total of 87 runs in five overs, which was tantamount to giving away 17 runs in a single over.
In the final over, Punjab Kings batter Shashank Singh smashed Mohammed Siraj for 23 runs, which proved to be the difference in the match as Gujarat Titans fell 11 runs short of achieving the 244-run target. The lack of control and execution at the death bowling will be a major concern for GT as they face formidable Mumbai Indians’ batting line-up.
Therefore, it is crucial for Gujarat Titans to fix their death bowling woes in order to contain Mumbai Indians’ run-scoring flow in the death overs.
IPL 2025, GT vs MI preview: Squads
Gujarat Titans: Jos Buttler (WK), Shubman Gill (C), Sai Sudharsan, Glenn Phillips, Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Mahipal Lomror, Karim Janat, Kulwant Khejroliya, Anuj Rawat, Gerald Coetzee, Sherfane Rutherford, Manav Suthar, Kumar Kushagra, Arshad Khan, Gurnoor Brar, Nishant Sindhu.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (C), Naman Dhir, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Robin Minz (WK), Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Reece Topley, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Krishnan Shrijith, Karn Sharma, Corbin Bosch, Raj Bawa, Arjun Tendulkar, Bevon Jacobs, Ashwani Kumar, Satyanarayana Raju, Vignesh Puthur
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