Ahmedabad, March 28: Mumbai Indians (MI) will be eager to make amends for their disappointing start to the IPL 2025 season as they prepare to take on Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday. With both teams yet to open their account after suffering defeats in their respective opening matches, this encounter promises to be a high-stakes battle.

One of the biggest boosts for MI ahead of this clash is the return of their captain, Hardik Pandya, who missed their season opener against Chennai Super Kings due to a suspension for an over-rate offence in IPL 2024. The five-time champions struggled in his absence, failing to put up a competitive total against CSK and eventually losing by four wickets. Now, with Pandya back in the mix, MI will be hoping for an improved performance both with the bat and the ball.

Mumbai’s batting lineup lacked the necessary firepower in their opener at Chepauk, managing only 155/9. The likes of Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav will need to step up and find form, especially with the conditions in Ahmedabad expected to be more batting-friendly. Pandya’s return not only strengthens the middle order but also provides an additional bowling option, particularly during the powerplay and death overs.

However, MI will still be without their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who remains on the sidelines recovering from his back injury. His absence leaves a significant void in the bowling attack, adding pressure on the likes of Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar.

On the other hand, Gujarat Titans, led by Shubman Gill, have their own concerns to address. Despite a spirited chase against Punjab Kings in their opener, where they fell just 11 runs short while chasing a massive 244, their bowling unit struggled considerably. The home side will be banking on Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj and Rashid Khan to deliver against MI’s formidable batting order, but the lack of support from experienced bowlers will be a headache for coach Ashish Nehra.

The Titans will also need to make a call on their overseas combination. The absence of variety in their Indian pace attack – Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Ishant Sharma, all of whom rely on a similar hit-the-deck approach – makes it imperative for Rabada to deliver with the new ball.

The Ahmedabad pitch is expected to be a belter for batters, as evidenced by the high-scoring thriller between Gujarat and Punjab where 475 runs were scored in 40 overs. With the short boundaries and true bounce, another run-fest could be on the cards, putting additional responsibility on the bowlers to execute their plans effectively.

Squads:

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Minz, Ryan Rickleton, Shrijith Krishnan, Bevon Jacobs, Tilak varma, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Will Jacks, Mitchell Santner, Raj Angad Bawa, Vignesh Puthur, Corbin Bosch, Trent Boult, Karn Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, Satyanarayana Penmetsa, Arjun Tendulkar, Mubeeb-ur-Rahman, Jasprit Bumrah.

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Sherfane Rutherford, Glenn Phillips, Nishant Sindhu, Mahipal Lomror, Washington Sundar, Mohd. Arshad Khan, Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, Karim Janat, Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gerald Coetzee, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Ishant Sharma, Kulwant Khejroliya, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan.

Hyderabad, March 28: New Zealand veteran Kane Williamson was full of praises for Lucknow Super Giants’ win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2025, noting that Rishabh Pant-led side’s execution was flawless in limiting SRH to under-par total.

Opting to bowl first, LSG all-rounder Shardul Thakur bagged a four-wicket haul to help SRH to 190/9 in 20 overs. In reply, Nicholas Pooran and Mitchell Marsh slammed swashbuckling fifties to guide the visitors to a five-wicket win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

“I think it’s one of the toughest assignments—to go to Hyderabad and take on SRH. But LSG was extremely well-prepared. They had the courage to execute their plan immediately. They bowled full and straight—actually, fuller than full—targeting the yorker length and occasionally missing on either side. But in doing so, they limited SRH’s scoring options, preventing them from dictating the game or throwing the opposition off their lengths and lines.

“Hats off to the leadership for the planning and thought process that went into it. The execution was flawless, which helped restrict SRH to what was perhaps an under-par total,” Williamson said on JioHotstar.

Thakur, who was a late editiin to LSG as a replacement of Mohsin Khan, completed the milestone of 100 IPL wickets. He claimed the big wickets of Abhishek Sharma (6), Ishan Kishan (0) along with Abhinav Manohar (2) and Mohammed Shami (1) to complete his figures of 4-34. He wad also adjudged Player of the match for his impressive show.

Williamson further shared his thoughts on Thakur’s performance, saying, “A fantastic last-minute addition for LSG, Shardul is an experienced international player, and opening the bowling against SRH in Hyderabad is no easy task. But he came in with a solid plan, aligned with the team’s strategy, and executed it brilliantly. They bowled with variety, kept it really full, and brought in all possible modes of dismissal.

“It was a highly effective approach, and he did a fantastic job. Being named Man of the Match was well-deserved for such a special performance

Chennai, March 28: Chennai Super Kings will host Royal Challengers Bengaluru in match 8 of the Indian Premier League 2025 on Friday.

This will be the 34th meeting between CSK and RCB, with the Super Kings leading the head-to-head 21-11. CSK have also won 8 of their 9 encounters in Chennai, with their sole defeat coming in the inaugural season of 2008

CSK opened their season with a victory over Mumbai Indians last Sunday while RCB steamrolled the reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the curtain-raiser at the Eden Gardens.

CSK have not lost at Chepauk to RCB since the inaugural season in 2008. RCB’s only victory against CSK at Chepauk came way back in only their second-ever meeting on May 21 in 2008.

When will the CSK vs RCB match take place?

The match will take place on Friday. The match will begin at 7:30 PM IST, with the toss scheduled for 7 PM IST.

Where will the CSK vs RCB match take place?

The match will be played at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Where will the live broadcast for CSK vs RCB match be available?

The match will be broadcast live on the Star Sports network.

Where will live streaming for CSK vs RCB match be available?

The match will be streamed live on the JioHotstar app.

Squads:

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Sam Curran, Ravichandran Ashwin, Matheesha Pathirana, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Nathan Ellis, Mukesh Choudhary, Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Khaleel Ahmed, Jamie Overton, Shaik Rasheed, Anshul Kamboj, Shreyas Gopal, Noor Ahmad, Gurjapneet Singh, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Andre Siddarth C, Vansh Bedi.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Abhinandan Singh, Manoj Bhandage, Romario Shepherd, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lungi Ngidi, Nuwan Thushara, Jacob Bethell, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara.