Gujarat Titans (GT) will lock horns against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Qualifier 2 of the IPL 2023 on May 26 (Friday) in the world’s largest stadium, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Both teams have one last shot at reaching the summit clash to be played on May 28 (Sunday) against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). MI will enter this match riding high on an impressive 81-run win over Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator. MI, who have produced some incredible performances in their last few outings, would hope to maintain their winning streak and secure a spot in the final.
Meanwhile, GT will come into this match after suffering a 15-run defeat in Qualifier 1 against CSK. However, the defending champions had an amazing season during the league stage, finishing at the top of the points table. With the upcoming home advantage, GT is poised to have the upper hand against MI in this encounter.
MI’s remarkable victory in the Eliminator was a stern warning to the rivals that they could lift their game from any situation even in the absence of star pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer. MI’s only concern was their weak bowling attack but now it has been changed as Akash Madhwal has been delivering some breathtaking performances. Fine support from Chris Jordan and Jason Behrendorff has made MI’s bowling unit look stronger to challenge GT.
In the batting department, openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan are doing a fair job. The likes of Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, and Tim David have responded well to the challenges and these three have formed the backbone of the MI’s batting. The young Nehal Wadhera is too making a huge impact with this fine hitting.
On the other hand, the Titan’s batting has been led by their opener Shubman Gill, who has been in form his life, scoring 722 runs including two centuries and four fifties. The Titans will expect more with the bat from their captain Hardik Pandya, who is going through a lean patch. Vijay Shankar and David Miller have been in good form as well while Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, and Rashid Khan provide further depth down the order.
Bowling has been GT’s prime strength with Mohammad Shami (26 wickets) and Rashid Khan (25) occupying the top two spots in the purple cap race. Mohit Sharma has been complimenting the duo well while Noor Ahmad has been so handy in the spin department.
Qualifier 2 is expected to be a last-over thriller match as the pitch is more favorable for batting.
