In Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, the defending IPL champions, Gujarat Titans (GT) will take on the five-time IPL winners, Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad tomorrow i.e. Friday, May 26 at 7:30 PM IST.
Post losing Qualifier 1 to the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side, GT would gear up and perform at their finest and be hopeful of winning Qualifier 2 against MI. The Hardik Pandya-led side defeated the Paltans at home earlier this season and thus will carry confidence. Nonetheless, they will also be aware of MI’s remarkable playoff record. GT simply need to get the basics right and they will have a strong chance of winning the game. The absence of Sai Sudharsan and the inclusion of Dasun Shanaka in the team against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) remained a surprise, however, fans would still expect a strong start from in-form openers Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha. Hardik Pandya and Vijay Shankar have also put in strong performances, but they need to be more consistent. Rashid Khan is also exhibiting an excellent all-around act, which is a wonderful sign. Pacers Mohammad Shami and Mohit Sharma are delivering good shows in the powerplay and death overs respectively. If everything clicks at the Narendra Modi Stadium, GT will heavily back themselves for a win.
MI, on the other hand, are coming off a dominating triumph in the Eliminator match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The five-time IPL champions prevailed by a huge 81 runs, owing to an outstanding bowling performance by Akash Madhwal. The right-arm fast bowler took five wickets in just 3.3 overs. MI understand how to perform in the playoffs, but overcoming the defending champions will need a special effort. While the openers, Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, are in good form, it is the middle order that is taking the game deep and delivering those extraordinary game-changing runs. Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Tim David, and others are on fire and will want to continue pumping it up tomorrow. Piyush Chawla and Cameron Green were also economical with the ball, while Madhwal needs hardly any introduction after yesterday’s act.
Head-to-Head:
In the head-to-head competition, both teams met each other twice with each winning once.
GT won their previous match against MI by 55 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, earlier this season.
Where-to-Watch:
TV: Star Sports Network
OTT: JioCinema