Mumbai Indians. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
The 35th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 features a thrilling clash between the five-time champions Mumbai Indians and the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, April 25.
After losing their first two games of the season, Mumbai made a fabulous comeback in the tournament, winning the next three games. However, they would face Gujarat on the back of a defeat to the Sam Curran-led Punjab Kings, and it could be interesting to see what lineup the skipper could field in their next game.
Here’s Mumbai Indians’ predicted XI against Gujarat Titans
Openers: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk)
Skipper Rohit Sharma hasn’t been in very good form at the IPL 2023. Apart from the fact that he has led Mumbai to five IPL titles, his repertoire with the bat is infamous. With 179 runs in six games at the ongoing tournament, Rohit would look to amass some even more important runs for Mumbai in the top order.
The skipper would be accompanied by Indian youngster Ishan Kishan. With 170 runs in six IPL games so far and a disappointing showing in his previous game, Kishan would be keen on improving upon his performances in the future and making an impact for the five-time champions.
Middle-Order: Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Nehal Wadhera
After a string of poor performances in the IPL 2023, Suryakumar Yadav finally came through for Mumbai in their previous game. The star Indian batter amassed 57 runs in just 26 deliveries in Mumbai’s previous game against Punjab Kings and would hope to build further upon his knock in the forthcoming matches.
Tilak Varma has been another one of the in-form batters for Mumbai in the IPL 2023. The Indian batter has amassed 217 runs in six games so far, and with a poor showing in the previous game, he would be keen on improving upon his performance and scoring some important runs for the side in the middle order.
Tim David looked to be in the flow in Mumbai’s previous game against Punjab. Hitting two sixes, David scored an unbeaten 25 runs in 13 deliveries. However, he was unable to propel the team to a win. In the upcoming match, he will look to have a bigger impact for Mumbai.
Nehal Wadhera would be expected to make his way into the starting XI of Mumbai Indians. Coming in as an impact player in the previous game, Wadhera failed to make an impact after being bowled out on the first ball by Arshdeep Singh.
All-rounder: Cameron Green
Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was sensational for Mumbai in the previous game. The 23-year-old scored 67 runs in 43 deliveries and was integral for his side in helping them reach so close to the target. With 166 runs and five wickets in six games so far, Green would be expected to put in similar performances with both the bat and the ball in the upcoming match against Gujarat.
Bowlers: Piyush Chawla, Arjun Tendulkar, Jason Behrendorff, Hrithik Shokeen
Veteran Indian spinner Piyush Chawla has been one of the most important players for Mumbai in the IPL 2023. With nine wickets in six games, Chawla would be expected to feature in the starting lineup in the next match and put in yet another similar performance against the defending champions. In the three overs he bowled against Punjab, the 34-year-old took two wickets and conceded just 15 runs.
Son of legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar, Arjun Tendulkar had a night to forget against Punjab. The 23-year-old conceded a whopping 48 runs in three overs and took a single wicket. The five-time champions would hope for an improved performance from him in the next game.
Jason Behrendorff also put in a subpar performance for Mumbai in their previous game. Conceding 41 runs in three overs and managing to dismiss Jitesh Sharma, the 33-year-old would hope that he can do better in the forthcoming matches.
Hrithik Shokeen would be expected to stay in the side, with three wickets in six IPL games so far. However, the young off-spinner failed to take any wickets in Mumbai’s previous game against Punjab. The youngster would hope that the same is not the case when the five-time champions go up against Gujarat Titans.
Mumbai Indians (MI) probable XI:
Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Tim David, Arjun Tendulkar, Piyush Chawla, Jason Behrendorff, Hrithik Shokeen
Mumbai Indians (MI) probable impact players:
Jofra Archer, Vishnu Vinod, Shams Mulani, Sandeep Warrier, Ramandeep Singh