Both MI and GT lost their first game of IPL 2025 against CSK and PBKS respectively © BCCI/IPL Hardik Pandya is back where the booing first began. Just over a year ago, he faced a hostile reception from the very stands that had cheered him wholeheartedly the previous two seasons of the IPL. His move from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians did not exactly sit well with the fans, and he went on to endure a crescendo of taunts across most of the IPL venues last season. The denouement was far from ideal, as neither he nor his team actually managed to recover, eventually finishing at the bottom. One year on, the big question is has Ahmedabad forgotten and forgiven Pandya? That will be revealed on Saturday night here at Narendra Modi Stadium when MI clash with Gujarat Titans, the home team. Much water has flowed through the Sabarmati since the last clash between these sides. In this period, Pandya has covered himself in glory, playing seminal roles in India’s two ICC trophy triumphs – the Twenty20 World Cup in 2024 and Champions Trophy earlier this month. “Fans are fans and the emotions are part of it and I’m sure that everyone’s gone beyond that and it’s amazing to see how loyalty and everything works even in the IPL which is fascinating. I’ve enjoyed watching from outside. But I think, 12 months on he’s achieved a lot more and I’m sure that everyone will see beyond what happened in last year and we can enjoy a good game of cricket and everyone else can enjoy a good game of cricket too,” Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene said on the eve of the contest in Ahmedabad where MI had never won against GT. As Jayawardene hoped, it is unlikely Pandya will any longer be seen as a deserter – he has, after all, emerged as a national hero – but the MI skipper’s focus would be less on winning over the local fans than stemming the slew of poor starts that the Mumbai Indians are notoriously known for in the league season after season. They have already lost one and it will not be easy against a side that came close to recording the second highest chase in the IPL history against Punjab Kings the other night. Pandya, who missed the first match, will himself be at the centre of action, both with ball and bat, but a lot of attention will also be on their talisman Rohit Sharma, who had a duck in Chennai. He will be up against the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada, and how he starts with Ryan Rickelton will determine how the match progresses. Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Pandya himself will have to tackle the guile and accuracy of the spin-twins – Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore – but the start will be vital to MI chances. Despite the reversal in the first game, the Shubman Gill’s side looks very dangerous with new recruits like Jos Buttler, Sherfane Rutherford and Kagiso Rabada adding to the batting and bowling prowess. But the problem for the former champions is they were one batter short in the previous XI and their vulnerability to wide yorkers got badly exposed by Vyshak Vijaykumar. Unlikely that Mumbai Indians haven’t noticed this. But more than planning and preparation, execution will be crucial – just like PBKS, whose bowlers executed those wide yorkers well. When: Saturday, March 29, 2025, 7:30 PM IST Where: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad What to expect: The days are very hot, and inevitably, there is copious dew during match hours. As a result, teams inevitably prefer to bat second, making the toss a crucial factor in the contest. Head to Head: GT have a 3-2 win record over MI in their five face-offs with a clean 3-0 slate at the venue, including Qualifier 2 in 2023. Each of the five matches between the sides have been won by the side batting first. Team Watch: Gujarat Titans: Injury/Unavailability: There are no injury concerns in the Titans team. Tactics & Matchups:While Rutherford came up with a decent performance, his struggles against Vijaykumar meant GT couldn’t get over the line against Punjab Kings. But GT might give him another go before considering Glenn Phillips. This means the home team will stick with the same four overseas players – Jos Buttler, Rashid Khan, and Kagiso Rabada completing the quartet. Washington Sundar may get a look-in, potentially at the expense of Arshad Khan. Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada will go hard against Rohit but the most interesting match-up would be one between Suryakumar Yadav and Rashid Khan. Probable XII: Shubman Gill (C), Jos Buttler, Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj Mumbai Indians: Injury/Unavailability: There is no information of any injury barring of course Jasprit Bumrah, whose availability is still in the realm of uncertainty. Tactics & Matchups: Robin Minz might make way for Hardik Pandya and Vignesh Puthur, the surprise package in the first game, could be used as an Impact Player. It’s unlikely there will be any other change but a surprise selection is not ruled out. Mitchell Santner and Puthur will test the likes of Buttler and Rutherford but of particular interest will be Trent Boult, known to provide early breakthroughs, against the GT openers Gill and Sai Sudharsan. Probable XII: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (C), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Satyanarayana Raju Vignesh Puthur Did you know? – It was here that Pandya led GT to a title win in their maiden season in 2022, with a POTM performance in the final, and fell agonisingly short a year later – His stint as MI’s full-time captain too began here, in 2024, with a narrow six-run defeat, after which there were questions asked of his tactics, which continued with MI’s dismal run later in the season – GT had the worst numbers for middle-order batting in IPL 2024, and they are yet again top heavy in IPL 2025. They seemed on course in a stiff chase against PBKS during the second-wicket partnership, but couldn’t quite build on thereafter – There is a distinct contrast in how spinners have fared in first innings vs second in the last five IPL games in Ahmedabad. In the previous game here, GT spinners returned 4 for 78 in 8 overs (ER: 9.75) vs PBKS, while Yuzvendra Chahal and Glenn Maxwell returned 1 for 60 in five overs (ER: 12) between them What they said: “No one has asked how well Shreyas (Iyer) batted, no one spoke about how Shashank Singh has finished the inning (in the GT-PBKS game). It was about how Vijaykumar Vyshak finished it over and how Arshdeep (Singh) came in and bowled that over. So it does come down to how well you bowl. At the end of the day that one-two overs make a huge difference.” – GT Assistant coach Parthiv Patelon how bowlers can make a difference in T20s with one or two good overs. “Just a skill set. He is still learning. That’s a good thing about him. And we just felt that whether it’s the last game or whether it’s the 10th game or whether it’s next year, he was always going to play for Mumbai and he was ready to play. Once we went to Chennai and saw the wicket, we felt that it was suited for his skill set.” – MI coach Mahela Jayawardeneon what convinced the team to field Vignesh Puthur in the CSK game.
