Preview: Washington Sundar’s sharp delivery to dismiss the in-form Sai Sudharsan in the nets set the tone for a tense Gujarat Titans session ahead of their playoff clash against Mumbai Indians. With both teams missing key top-order batters due to national duty—like Jos Buttler, Ryan Rickelton, and Will Jacks—the stakes have only risen. While MI carry the weight of history and six straight wins, no team has ever lifted the title from fourth place under the current format. The Titans, however, bring consistency and recent dominance to the table, making Friday’s knockout a high-stakes, unpredictable showdown.
Venue: Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh
Date & Time: May 30, 07:30 PM LOCAL
Pitch & Weather Report: The weather in Mullanpur is expected to be clear for the Eliminator clash, with temperatures ranging between 39°C and 28°C and virtually no chance of rain, ensuring an uninterrupted contest. The Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium pitch generally favours batters with its good bounce and carry, allowing for free scoring. However, both pacers and spinners can find assistance—seamers early on and spinners as the match progresses—as seen in the previous Qualifier 1 clash, where RCB bowlers restricted PBKS to just 101 runs.
MI Probable XI: Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow, Suryakumar Yadav, Charith Asalanka, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Ashwani Kumar/Karn Sharma
GT Probable XI: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Kusal Mendis, Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Gerald Coetzee, Arshad Khan, R Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
