The Mumbai Indians (MI) will face off against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Eliminator of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Friday, May 30. Mullanpur will host the contest.
MI had their top-two hopes in their own hands, but a stumble towards the end of the league stage allowed the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to sneak ahead. The five-time champions will now need to beat three oppositions for the first time this season if they are to add a sixth trophy to their cabinet.
Mumbai will be without Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks and Corbin Bosch, who have left for international duties. Jonny Bairstow, Charith Asalanka and Richard Gleeson have joined the squad. Unfortunately for the franchise, apart from concerns over the fit of their replacements, they have a couple of injury concerns to worry about as well.
MI’s squad for IPL 2025: Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Bevon Jacobs, Robin Minz, Jonny Bairstow, Krishnan Shrijith, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Charith Asalanka, Raj Angad Bawa, Raghu Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Karn Sharma, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, Satyanarayana Raju, Arjun Tendulkar, Richard Gleeson.
On that note, here is MI’s predicted playing XI, apart from a couple of impact player options, for the IPL 2025 Eliminator.
Openers: Rohit Sharma and Jonny Bairstow (wk)
Rohit Sharma has had another inconsistent season at the top of the order despite showing flashes of brilliance. Up against Mohammed Siraj, the former MI skipper will need to be at his best.
Jonny Bairstow is expected to be a straight swap for Ryan Rickelton at the other end. It’ll be interesting to see if the Englishman can hit the ground running in IPL 2025.
Middle Order: Suryakumar Yadav, Charith Asalanka, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir
In the absence of Will Jacks, MI might have to choose between Charith Asalanka and Bevon Jacobs. The Sri Lankan could have an edge, given the fact that Mumbai need someone who can bat in the top four and chip in with a few overs of spin if needed.
Tilak Varma is reportedly dealing with a niggle but trained on the eve of the game. He will want to turn his indifferent form around, while Hardik Pandya will eye a match-winning all-round display.
Suryakumar Yadav and Naman Dhir, who have been in excellent form, will be central to MI’s batting hopes.
Lower Order: Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Deepak Chahar struggled with a hamstring injury in the last game. If he doesn’t recover in time, Ashwani Kumar could be handed the new ball alongside Trent Boult.
There’s a slight chance that MI might want to use an overseas slot on Richard Gleeson to beef up their pace attack, particularly if Chahar isn’t fit. However, their batting would then become extremely thin, lending weight to the belief that both Bairstow and Asalanka will feature.
Mitchell Santner will lead the spin attack, while Jasprit Bumrah will be the biggest weapon up MI’s sleeve in the pace department.
Impact Player Options – Ashwani Kumar, Karn Sharma
Karn Sharma didn’t enter the fray in the previous game, with MI choosing Ashwani instead. We could see them opt for an additional spin option in this one, particularly if Ashwani features in the XI ahead of Chahar.
There are a number of ways in which Mumbai can construct their XI depending on their overseas combination. The likes of Raj Bawa, Robin Minz and KL Shrijith can’t be ruled out from contention, but stability might be the name of the game for the Indians.
Karn seems to be the frontrunner.
alt=”Sai Krishna” height=”72″ width=”72″>
Get real-time updates on IPL 2025, live scores, IPL Prediction, match schedule, points table,Result & squad –CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS
Edited by Sai Krishna
