IPL 2025: Hardik Pandya’s Boosts Mumbai, Siraj Concerns Gujarat

IPL 2025: Ahmedabad: Captain Hardik Pandya’s much-awaited return after a one-match suspension will provide the much-needed balance to Mumbai Indians in their match against Gujarat Titans on Saturday in the Indian Premier League (IPL) T20. Both teams are looking for their first win of the season. Mumbai Indians couldn’t break their long-standing myth of losing the first match of the IPL season, losing to Chennai Super Kings by four wickets. On the other hand, Gujarat Titans lost a high-scoring match to Punjab Kings by 11 runs.

Ahmedabad: After a one-match suspension, captain Hardik Pandya’s much-awaited return will bring much-needed balance to Mumbai Indians in their match against Gujarat Titans on Saturday in the IPL. Both teams are looking for their first win of the season. Mumbai Indians couldn’t break their long-standing tradition of losing the first match of the season, losing to Chennai Super Kings by four wickets. Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans lost a high-scoring match to Punjab Kings by 11 runs.

First and second matches

In the week-long gap between their first and second matches, IPL 2025: Mumbai Indians spent a few days at Reliance’s Jamnagar facility, focusing on team bonding and relaxation. The tournament is still in its early stages, but Mumbai’s bowling attack struggled without fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Additionally, the absence of regular captain Hardik Pandya in the first match made things more difficult for the team. Hardik is currently India’s only all-rounder who bowls fast. He can have a big impact on the match with either bat or ball. His return likely means that Robin Minz will have to sit out, as he struggled on the tough pitch against Chennai.

Mumbai will play at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday, where the conditions have been very batting-friendly. In the last match here between Punjab Kings (243) and Gujarat Titans (232), a total of 475 runs were scored. For Gujarat, fast bowler Mohammad Siraj’s performance will be crucial, as he has not been in good form lately and gave away 54 runs against Punjab. Prasidh Krishna also failed to make an impact in the last match. Gujarat’s team lacks experienced fast bowlers, which could be a concern for head coach Ashish Nehra. Star foreign players like Kagiso Rabada and Rashid Khan are under pressure to both stop runs and take wickets.

IPL 2025: About Teams ..

For Mumbai, captain Rohit Sharma and T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav’s current form is a cause for concern. Hardik’s return will strengthen Mumbai’s batting, and he can also start the bowling attack if needed. Another issue for Mumbai is their reliance on wicketkeeper-batsman Ryan Rickelton, as Robin Minz doesn’t have much experience at this level. Wrist-spinner Vignesh Puthur impressed with his talent on a spin-friendly pitch against Chennai, but his true test will be on the more batting-friendly pitch against Gujarat.

Gujarat’s captain Shubman Gill will be responsible for giving the team a good start. After seeing how Punjab’s fast bowler Vijaykumar Vaishakh troubled Sherfane Rutherford with wide yorkers and full tosses in the last match, Gujarat might give Glenn Phillips a chance. Phillips is an aggressive batsman who also bowls off-spin. Gill will be concerned about the bowling attack since most Indian bowlers (Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and experienced Ishant Sharma) bowl in a similar style.

Players and Squad

Gujarat Titans Squad: Jos Buttler, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Glenn Phillips, Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammad 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 Barar, Nishant Sindhu.

Mumbai Indians Squad: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton (Wicketkeeper), Sreejit Krishnan (Wicketkeeper), Bevan Jacobs, Tilak Verma, Naman Dheer, Will Jacks, Mitchell Santner, Raj Angad Bawa, Vignesh Puthur, Corbin Bosch, Trent Boult, Karn Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Ashwini Kumar, Reece Topley, VS Penmetsa, Arjun Tendulkar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Jasprit Bumrah.

The match will begin at 7:30 PM.

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