The IPL 2025 Eliminator clash between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Gujarat Titans (GT) featured tense interactions between former teammates Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill.
Before a ball was even bowled, the spotlight was on the captains. At the toss, MI skipper Hardik Pandya and GT captain Shubman Gill shared a visibly awkward moment. After winning the toss, Pandya appeared to move toward Gill, perhaps to shake hands. Gill, simultaneously unsure, mirrored the motion. Both then pulled back in a split second of hesitation, resulting in an odd exchange.
The tension between the two former teammates escalated further during GT’s chase. Shubman Gill, who had been under pressure to deliver, was dismissed early — trapped LBW by MI pacer Trent Boult for just 1 run off 2 balls. Thereupon, Hardik Pandya was seen screaming in celebration near his former teammate’s face. The moment was intense, clearly charged with emotion and possibly the weight of past camaraderie turned rivalry.
While it's unclear if Pandya’s yell was directed specifically at Gill or just an exuberant expression of relief and adrenaline, the optics of the scene caught the attention of fans and commentators alike. The fiery celebration contrasted starkly with their cold toss interaction and served to underline the growing on-field rivalry between the two.
Mumbai Indians win toss and Hardik Pandya opts to bat first
Meanwhile, the toss went in favour of the Mumbai Indians and Hardik Pandya opted to bat first. With Ryan Rickelton and Will Jacks returning home for international duty, Jonny Bairstow and Richard Gleeson made their debuts for the Mumbai Indians. Additionally, Raj Angad Bawa replaced the injured Deepak Chahar.
The Titans triggered two changes to their XI, bringing in Kusal Mendis for Jos Buttler and Washington Sundar for Arshad Khan.
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Raj Bawa, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Richard Gleeson.
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Kusal Mendis(w), Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Gerald Coetzee, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
