Gujarat Titans will play Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator match in the ongoing IPL 2025. The winner of the match will move to Qualifier 2, where they will face Punjab Kings, while the losing team will be eliminated from the competition. Meanwhile, ahead of the high-voltage clash, both teams have suffered tremendously as Mumbai had to release Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks and Corbin Bosch while Gujarat had to let go off Jos Buttler and Kagiso Rabada.
However, both teams have named some impactful replacements but it needs to be seen if the players can bring impact straightaway. Mumbai have signed Jonny Bairstow, Charith Asalanka and Richard Gleeson, while Gujarat have got Kusal Mendis on board. Bairstow, England’s out-of-favour opener, went unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction but Mumbai paid him INR 5.25 crore for the playoffs.
He is expected to open alongside Rohit Sharma and there will be pressure on the keeper-batter to deliver, especially as Rickelton had done a commendable job for the five-time champions. Similarly, Mendis will feel the pressure in the Gujarat camp as the Sri Lanka international will replace Jos Buttler at number three, which will be mighty difficult given how the former England captain performed this season.
Both teams have a decent bowling attack but the duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult might have the upper hand. Rashid Khan’s form is slightly concerning for Gujarat but Prasidh Krishna and Sai Kishore have done a respectable job so far.
Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, Pitch Report
The surface at Mullanpur made it difficult for the batters early on in Qualifier 1. IT was hard and the ball was coming on nicely in the middle and the same trend could be seen during the Eliminator. The first 10 overs will be vital. Bowling first will be ideal and anything over 180 runs can be decisive.