🏏IPL 2025 - Eliminator GT vs MI at Mullanpur @ 7:30pm🏏

🏏IPL 2025 - Match 72: Eliminator

GT vs MI on 30th May 2025 at Mullanpur @ 7:30pm🏏

Gujarat Titans will lock horns with Mumbai Indians today (May 30) in IPL 2025 Eliminator. The match, which will decide who’ll play against Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2, will take place at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, also known as New Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, in Mullanpur. It will start at 7:30 PM.

Gujarat, in their 3 IPL appearances, have reached the final twice. They have played 3 playoff matches (excluding finals) and won twice, having an excellent winning rate of 66.67%.

Mumbai, one of the most successful IPL teams with 5 trophies, have played 14 playoff matches (excluding finals) and won 8 of those, having a winning rate of 57.14%. Mumbai reached IPL finals 6 times and won 5.

Big picture: Can GT cope without Buttler?

Before the start of IPL 2025, Gujarat Titans(GT) seemed to have a hole in their batting line-up. They had an excellent top three and a bunch of finishers but the middle order looked thin. GT, though, finished third in the league stage and will now face Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Eliminator in New Chandigarh on Friday. The winner moves on to Qualifier 2, one step closer to the final; the loser is eliminated.

GT relied heavily on their top three during their run to the playoffs. In most games, at least one of Shubman Gill, B Sai Sudharsanand Jos Buttler batted so deep that the middle order was barely required. On the rare occasion when they fell relatively early, Sherfane Rutherford and Shahrukh Khan proved that the perceived hole in the middle order wasn't so deep.

The interruption to the season, however, interrupted GT's momentum. They were on course for a top-two finish but lost their last two league games and dropped to No. 3. Now Buttler has left for the England duty and GT's first match without him is the Eliminator. His replacement Kusal Mendis is a fine batter but he is not in the same league. Moreover, he has never played the IPL and his last innings in a competitive game was more than a month ago.

GT were perhaps the only franchise to have constructed their squad around their bowling. But with Mohammed Siraj's form tapering off and Rashid Khan's never really picking up, their strongest department does not look as strong. In the last three games, they conceded 199, 235 and 230.

MI, on the other hand, are a galaxy of stars. But not everyone has been shining as brightly. Suryakumar Yadav is their leading run-getter with 640, but the next best, Ryan Rickelton, is 252 behind. And he is not available for the playoffs. The next on the list is Rohit Sharma with 329.

Unlike Mendis for GT, MI's replacement for Rickelton is an IPL veteran: Jonny Bairstow. Last fortnight, he smashed twin fifties for Yorkshire, albeit in a red-ball game. Will Jacks, who has also left MI for England duty, does not leave behind that big a hole. On current form, their bowling attack also seems stronger than GT's.

GT, though, will draw confidence from having beaten MI in both league games. In fact, MI are yet to beat any of the three other teams in the playoffs. They did have a six-match winning streak in the middle, but after two losses in their last three league games, they no longer appear invincible.

In the spotlight: Rashid Khan and Jasprit Bumrah

Rashid Khan and Jasprit Bumrah have been T20 cricket's best spinner and best fast bowler for years now. But they have had contrasting fortunes in IPL 2025. Rashid is having his worst IPL season. In 14 games, he has picked up just nine wickets at an average of 53.66 and an economy 9.47. The 31 sixes he has been hit for are the joint most for any bowler in an IPL season alongside Siraj in 2022.

Bumrah missed the first four matches as he was recovering from a back injury. Despite that, he is joint sixth on the list of highest wicket-takers this season. He has taken 17 at an average of 14.64 and economy of 6.33, both a personal best for him in an IPL season.

Team news and likely XIIs

Mendis replacing Buttler could be the only change for GT.

Gujarat Titans (probable): 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 B Sai Sudharsan, 3 Kusal Mendis (wk), 4 Sherfane Rutherford, 5 M Shahrukh Khan, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Gerald Coetzee, 9 Arshad Khan, 10 R Sai Kishore, 11 Mohammed Siraj, 12 Prasidh Krishna

Bairstow coming in for Rickelton is a straight swap. Choosing between Charith Asalanka and Bevon Jacobs for Jacks could be trickier, but Asalanka's offspin could tilt the decision in his favour.

Mumbai Indians (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Charith Asalanka/Bevon Jacobs, 6 Hardik Pandya (capt), 7 Naman Dhir, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Jasprit Bumrah, 12 Karn Sharma

Pitch and conditions

New Chandigarh has not dished out consistent pitches this season. In the four games played there before the playoffs, a team lost after making 201 and a team won after scoring 111. In Qualifier 1, Punjab Kings (PBKS) were all out for 101 on a surface that helped both seamers and spinners, but it will be a fresh pitch for the Eliminator. The weather forecast for Friday is likely to be cloudy, but there is no indication of rain.

Key stats

• In the IPL, Hardik Pandya has dismissed Gill four times in 23 balls while giving away only 19 runs.
• Mendis has struggled against Mitchell Santner in T20 cricket - four dismissals in 39 balls for just 34 runs.
• Across all T20s, Suryakumar has taken Rashid for 117 runs in 77 balls without a dismissal. Rashid has dominated his match-up against Hardik, though: 32 runs in 44 balls, two dismissals.
• Tilak Varma has faced seven balls from Prasidh Krishna in the IPL. He's been dismissed twice and hasn't scored a run.

What to expect: Yet another hot evening and uneven square boundary dimensions. Both the teams will have to learn and adapt on the go on Friday, having not played a game at this venue this season. Last year, they each beat PBKS here.

Head to head: GT 5 - 2 MI. The Titans have done the double over MI this season, and have won each of their last four encounters, including the second qualifier of 2023.

Mumbai Indians

Injury/Unavailability: Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks and Corbin Bosch have left the building for the WTC final. Jonny Bairstow, Charith Asalanka and Richard Gleeson have taken their place temporarily, and were in training on Wednesday.

Tactics & Match-ups: The earliest sub-plot of this fixture is going to be between Trent Boult and the GT openers. The left-armer has dismissed Sai Sudharsan twice - both in this season, conceding only 31 off 30 balls to him. He has tamed the GT skipper too, dismissing him once and giving away only 74 off 69 deliveries in IPL. Boult has also dismissed Sherfane Rutherford twice in seven balls.

Probable XII: Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow, Suryakumar Yadav, Charith Asalanka, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Ashwani Kumar/Karn Sharma

Gujarat Titans

Injury/Unavailability: Kusal Mendis is filling in a temporary replacement. He could go straight into that XI at No.3.

Tactics & Match-ups: Rohit Sharma has done well against the two GT pacers - Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj - but has been troubled by Rashid Khan in this tournament. The leggie hasn't had the most potent season by his standards, but has repeatedly flummoxed Rohit in the past - conceded just 35 off 32 deliveries for two dismissals. Rashid has also done well against Tilak Varma (24/2 in 23) and Hardik Pandya (28/2 in 38).

Probable XII: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Kusal Mendis, Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Gerald Coetzee, Arshad Khan, R Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Did you know:

- With a tally of 640 (and counting), Suryakumar Yadav has the most runs for an MI batter in a single IPL season.

- GT's consistency at the top has been unparalleled. For the first time in the history of the tournament, a team has used the same three players at the top of the order throughout the league phase. That run, however, will not extend to the playoffs in Buttler's absence.

- GT have been the best batting side in the competition, averaging 35.61 per wicket at a strike-rate of 157.59 (second only to PBKS' 160.58). MI have been the best bowling side on all three parameters: average (22.98), SR (16.1) and ER (8.54).

Probable Best Batter of the Match

Star Gujarat Titans skipper and opener Shubman Gill could be the best batter in the upcoming game against the Mumbai Indians. Gill has had a brilliant season so far and has been a driving force that has led the Titans to the playoffs, and he would be keen on putting in a similar showing in the upcoming game as well.

Probable Best Bowler of the Match

Ace Mumbai Indians pacer Jasprit Bumrah could be the best bowler in the upcoming game against the Gujarat Titans. With 17 wickets in his last 10 matches, Bumrah has been in brilliant form, and his spell could go a long way in propelling his side to a win, which could take them through to the next stage.