Chandigarh, May 30 (UNI) In a high-stakes Eliminator at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to bat first against Gujarat Titans, with skipper Hardik Pandya declaring the fixture as their "tenth straight knockout" — a telling reflection of the pressure his side has endured in the latter half of the season.
Explaining the decision at the toss, Pandya noted a shift in pitch conditions compared to the previous day. “Looks like a different track to yesterday. Bit of less grass. Big game, scoring runs and defending would be nice,” he said. Emphasising the urgency, he added, “We all are aware, for the last 9 games we have been playing it like a knockout. Really need to turn up today and focus on the things which we can control.”
Mumbai made three changes to their line-up: Jonny Bairstow returned, England pacer Richard Gleeson made his IPL debut, and Raj Angad Bawa came into the XI.
Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill, who would have preferred to chase, acknowledged the team’s satisfaction with their position. “If someone would've said at the start of the season that we would've qualified, we would've taken it,” said Gill, who is playing in his hometown.
“There’s no pressure of a knockout. This game is no different for us,” he added. Gujarat made two changes: Kusal Mendis replaced Jos Buttler, while Washington Sundar came in for Arshad Khan.
As Mumbai fight to stay alive and Gujarat look to fine-tune their form, the evening promises a fierce contest between two sides with vastly different pressures.
Teams:
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Raj Bawa, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Richard Gleeson
Impact Subs: Krishnan Shrijith, Raghu Sharma, Robin Minz, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley.
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Kusal Mendis(w), Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Gerald Coetzee, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Impact Subs: Sherfane Rutherford, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Jayant Yadav, Arshad Khan
UNI BDN BM