Date: May 30, 2025 | Mullanpur, New Chandigarh
In a high-stakes IPL 2025 Eliminator clash between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, MI captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and chose to bat first — a decision that left GT skipper Shubman Gill hiding a smile.
But why?
As it turns out, both captains got exactly what they wanted. While Pandya cited a “big game” and a different-looking pitch with less grass as reasons to bat first, Gill confirmed he would have bowled anyway. With the stars aligning for both sides, Gill’s quiet grin at the toss made perfect sense — no mind games, just cricketing luck.
Hardik Pandya Explains His Call
“We’re going to bat. Looks like a different track to yesterday. Bit of less grass. Big game, scoring runs and defending would be nice,” said Hardik Pandya after winning the toss.
He acknowledged the pressure of the Eliminator but emphasized MI’s approach over the past few games:
“For the last 9 games, we’ve been playing it like a knockout. We really need to turn up today and focus on what we can control.”
MI made three changes to their XI — Jonny Bairstow returned, Richard Gleeson made his debut, and Raj Angad Bawa was brought into the mix.
Shubman Gill Relieved Despite Losing Toss
GT captain Shubman Gill, playing in his hometown Chandigarh, admitted that he would have bowled anyway:
“We would’ve chased. If someone had said at the start of the season that we’d qualify, we’d have taken it. The boys are very excited. It’s my hometown, and there’s no pressure — just another game for us.”
GT made two changes — Kusal Mendis replaced Jos Buttler, and Washington Sundar came in for Arshad Khan.
IPL 2025 Eliminator: Playing XIs
Mumbai Indians (MI):
Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow (wk), 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 (GT):
Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Kusal Mendis (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, R. Sai Kishore, Gerald Coetzee, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Impact Subs: Sherfane Rutherford, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Jayant Yadav, Arshad Khan
What’s Next?
The winner of this Eliminator will face Punjab Kings — who lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) — in the Second Qualifier on June 1. The victor there will go on to challenge RCB in the IPL 2025 Final on June 3 in Ahmedabad.
Stay tuned to The Quick Update for real-time IPL 2025 coverage, match highlights, and exclusive insights.
