Hardik Pandya, the newly appointed captain of the Mumbai Indians, is ready to face off against his former team Gujarat Titans, now led by Shubman Gill in the second match of ‘Super Sunday’ at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
In the last two seasons of the Indian Premier League, Gill played under Pandya’s leadership in GT but will now find himself standing against his former captain. It will be intriguing to see how the Ahmedabad crowd reacts when their former captain, Pandya, who led Titans to consecutive IPL finals, enters the ground during the toss, donning the blue and golden jersey.
The last match of this weekend promises to be the highlight of this year’s IPL as former MI captain Rohit Sharma, who led them to five championship titles, prepares to play under Pandya’s captaincy for the very first time.
What has happened so far?
In the last two editions of the tournament, Titans clinched the top spot with an impressive record of 10 wins and 4 losses each. Remarkably, in 2022, Gujarat triumphed as champions in their inaugural season, setting a formidable precedent.
In 2023, GT faced a setback in Qualifier 1 against Chennai Super Kings but redeemed themselves by securing a win against MI in the eliminator match. Despite their valiant effort in the finale against CSK, Ravindra Jadeja emerged as the hero, snatching the title for his team with a dramatic last-ball victory.
Looking ahead to this year’s IPL, the Ashish Nehra-coached side released Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, and six other players before the auction. Their acquisition of players like Spencer Johnson, Azmatullah Omarzai, Shahrukh Khan, Umesh Yadav, and four other Indian uncapped talents promises an exciting season ahead.
In contrast, MI’s path to the playoffs last year hinged on the outcome of the final league match, where GT’s victory over RCB secured MI’s fourth spot in the standings.
While bidding farewell to Cameron Green after trading him to Bengaluru and parting ways with Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan, MI once again showcased their adeptness in the auction by securing promising talents like Gerald Coetzee, Nuwan Thushara, and several others.
Head to Head Record
Since 2022, the neighbouring teams have faced off four times, with their head-to-head record remaining deadlocked. Gujarat secured two commanding victories over MI, each with a winning margin exceeding 50 runs, while MI also clinched two wins.
The Eliminator match of the previous season, held in Ahmedabad, marked their most recent encounter, where GT triumphed decisively with a resounding 62-run victory, eliminating Men in Blue from the tournament.
Key Players
Shubman Gill (Gujarat Titans): Shubman Gill finds himself in the spotlight this Sunday night as he shoulders the formidable task of taking down the five-time IPL champions, MI. Beyond his leadership responsibilities, Gill aims to replicate his outstanding performances from the previous IPL season, where he emerged as the tournament’s top run-scorer.
During IPL 2023, Gill displayed his effectiveness with the bat, amassing a staggering 890 runs in 17 matches at an impressive average of 59.33. Particularly lethal as an opener, Gill unleashed his full potential, notching up three centuries and four half-centuries.
Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians): Jasprit Bumrah, the linchpin of the MI bowling arsenal, returns to the IPL after sitting out the previous edition due to injury. Eager to pick up where he left off, Bumrah aims to replicate his stellar performance, having earned the Player of the Match trophy in his last IPL appearance against Delhi in 2022.
Bumrah will spearhead the pace bowling attack of MI
With his current form, Bumrah presents a daunting challenge to the GT batsmen in the upcoming clash. Having been a mainstay for MI since 2013, Bumrah is on the brink of a milestone, needing just 5 wickets to reach 150 IPL wickets. With 145 wickets in 120 IPL matches, Bumrah boasts an impressive bowling average of 23.3, an economy rate of less than 8, and a strike rate of 18.91.
Team News from Both Camps
Prior to IPL 2024, the Gujarat-based franchise faced a setback as their premier pacer and highest wicket-taker from the previous season, Mohammed Shami, has been ruled out for the entire tournament, leaving Mohit Sharma as the sole specialist death bowler in the squad. In response, the team management announced Sandeep Warrier as Shami’s replacement.
Meanwhile, MI will begin their tournament without the services of Suryakumar Yadav. In addition to Surya, pacers Jason Behrendroff and Dilshan Madhushanka have been ruled out for the entire season. Luke Wood and Kwena Maphaka have been brought in as replacements for both players, respectively.
Predicted XIs
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill ©, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Sai Sudharsan, David Miller, Vijay Shankar, Shahrukh Khan, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed, Spencer Johnson, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya ©, Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Nehal Wadhera, Piyush Chawla, Nuwan Thushara, Jasprit Bumrah, Luke Wood
Prediction
The departure of Pandya from the Titans and Shami’s unavailability mean runners-up will need to put in significant effort to secure two points against MI, who possess a robust lineup despite having a couple of injury concerns ahead of their first match.