Competition details
Gujarat Titans (GT) vs Mumbai Indians (MI)
Ahmedabad, 1930 IST (1400 GMT)
Big picture: Hardik, Rohit and the new Titans captain
While the Titans were in the finals in the previous two seasons, Mumbai have not qualified for a tournament since 2020 when they won their fifth title. This is their longest spell without a trophy since 2013.
Team News: No SKY for MI
Mumbai's no. 3 Suryakumar Yadav is still recovering from ankle surgery at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, while their overseas pacers Jason Behrendorff and Dilshan Madhushanka are out for the season with injuries. Gerald Coetzee is also ineligible to play against the Titans. Mumbai's overseas fast bowlers are substitutes: England's Luke Wood and South African teenager Kwena Mabaga.
The Titans are without last season's top wicket-taker, Mohammed Shami, who is recovering from ankle surgery. Jharkhand wicketkeeper Robin Minns, who was bought by the Titans for Rs 3.6 crore, has been ruled out for the season due to an injury sustained in a bike accident. Sandeep Warrier of Tamil Nadu and PR Sarath of Karnataka were included as substitutes. Matthew Wade, who is playing in the Sheffield Shield final in Australia, is yet to feature for the Titans.
Striker strategy
Titans No. 3 batsman Sai Sudarshan and left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore will be converted into impact players depending on batting and bowling. They will pick Kane Williamson, who offers experience in the middle order, and Afghanistan all-rounder Asmatullah Omarzai, who provides a sixth bowling option, as the fourth overseas player.
Probable XII: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Wriddhiman Saha (weekend), 3 P Sai Sudarsan, 4 Asmatullah Omarzai / Kane Williamson, 5 David Miller, 6 Shahrukh Khan, 7 Rahul Dewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Spencer John , 11 Mohit Sharma, 12 R Sai Kishore
Mumbai's injuries have not settled what was a very settled starting XI. Tim David is the only overseas player to lock-in. All-rounders Romario Shepard/Mohammed Nabi could be picked at second, pacers Nuwan Tushara, Mabaga and Wood at third, while DeWalt Previs could come in as an impact player to bolster the batting.
Probable XII: 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Ishan Kishan (VK), 3 Tilak Verma, 4 Hardik Pandya (Captain), 5 Nehal Vadera, 6 Tim David, 7 Romario Shepherd/Mohammed Nabi, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Nuwan Dushara/Gwena Mbaka/Luke Wood, 11 Kumar Karthikeya/Akash Madwal, 12 Devald Previs
Statistics are important
- Rohit has been dismissed in the powerplay 20 times in his last 30 IPL innings.
- Suryakumar scored 183 runs at this stage and Mumbai scored 9.1 runs per middle over in IPL 2023. Can someone else match it in his absence?
- The Titans had a strike rate of 156 last season against balls bowled at 140 kmph – the highest of any team.
Pitch and conditions
The pitch for the game had a nice glow under the lights and is expected to have good bounce and carry. Snow was not a factor in the evening, meaning the second-bowling team would not be at a massive disadvantage. The weather is expected to be hot, with temperatures already touching 38 degrees Celsius.
Quotations
„I'll leave that up to you to decide. I hope you find out at the end of the season.”
Subman Gill When asked what kind of captain he wants to be for the Titans
„As a senior player with international experience, there is a big responsibility on me this season.”
Mumbai Batter Tilak Verma
Shashank Kishore is Senior Associate Editor at ESPNcricinfo
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