Overview
This is a clash of two of the tournament’s in-form sides. The Mumbai Indians were once the benchmark for the rest of the league, winning fve titles between 2013 and 2020. The Gujarat Titans marked their debut season in 2022 by taking home the title, and have streaked clear of the pack again. Victory at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday night will guarantee a top-two finish, and a couple of chances to make the final. Mumbai, who have won three of their last four games while chasing in excess of 200, can also take a big step towards the post-season by seeing off a Gujarat side that thrashed them by 55 runs in Ahmedabad.
Even with Rohit Sharma worrying off-colour, Mumbai’s batting is purring. They’ll have Tilak Varma back for this game, though he may not be risked in the field after just recovering from a hamstring problem. Ishan Kishan has found another gear, Suryakumar Yadav has been immense, and both Cameron Green and Tim David have delivered telling cameos. Nehal Wadhera, who hadn’t even played a T20 before this season began, has reeled off consecutive half-centuries while deputising for Tilak.
Gujarat have an effective opening pair in Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha, while David Miller, Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar and Abhinav Manohar have all had their moments with the bat. But Gujarat’s real strength is a wonderfully well-round bowling attack. Their economy rate of 7.4 in the Powerplay is easily the best in the competition, and Mohammed Shami leads the way with 12 Powerplay wickets. One three occasions, Gujarat have restricted their opponents to less than 30 in those opening six overs.
If it’s Shami that makes the early incisions, it’s the Afghan spin duo of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad that make sure there’s no let-up in the pressure. Hardik has done a solid job with the ball, while Mohit Sharma’s promotion from net-bowling duty is one of the stories of the season. His 12 wickets have come at an economy rate of less than 7.
With Gujarat threatening to set new standards for the league, it’ll be fascinating to see how the old order responds.
Venue and time
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. 7:30 PM
Head-to-Head
Both sides have won a game apiece.
Expected conditions and toss
The temperature will be close to 34C at the start of play, with the humidity expected to be over 60 per cent. Dew will come into play, and it seems certain that both captains would prefer to chase on winning the toss.
Likely Playing XI and Impact Player
Akash Madhwal bowled a splendid final over against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Mumbai’s last game. But with Tilak back in the fray, Madhwal will make way when Mumbai bat. For Gujarat, Mohit will come in for Gill when they bowl.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (C), Ishan Kishan (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Cameron Green, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Tim David, Chris Jordan, Piyush Chawla, Jason Behrendorff, Kumar Kartikeya.
Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya (C), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Abhinav Manohar, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph.