In the ninth game of the current 2025 Indian Premier League, Gujarat Titans (GT), the 2022 season champions, will take against the five-time champion Mumbai Indians (MI). The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the match between the two teams.
Both clubs are trying to add the first two points against their names in the points table after suffering losses in their previous games. Punjab Kings defeated GT in a high-scoring match in Ahmedabad, while MI was defeated by the Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk.
Despite having the home field advantage, GT’s last meeting with MI was exciting, as they prevailed by a slim six-run score. Hardik Pandya, MI’s normal captain, will return to the team after missing their last game because of a match ban that was carried over from the previous season.
Here are three player battles to keep an eye out for, with both sides prepared to engage in combat.
1. Kagiso Rabada vs Rohit Sharma
During the match against CSK the ex-MI captain faced removal after Khaleel Ahmed dismissed him without scoring in four balls. Frederick Kagiso Rabada provided weak batting support to PBKS when he gave up 41 runs across four overs and secured just a single wicket.
Rohit along with Rabada demonstrate a solid performance history against one another when participating in T20 cricket matches. Through 15 innings played against the same opponent the batter recorded 90 runs using 76 deliveries which resulted in 10 boundary hits and 5 uppercut hits at 118.42 runs per 100 balls.
The forthcoming matchup is even more intriguing because Rabada has dismissed the MI hitter four times in these 15 appearances.
2. Hardik Pandya vs Rashid Khan
After missing the opening match because of an over-rate ban, Hardik Pandya will return to lead MI in their first game of the season. In his absence, the team was headed by Suryakumar Yadav, but they lost.
Rashid Khan, on the other hand, had a forgettable performance against PBKS, giving up the second-most runs for his team with figures of 1/48 during his four-over tenure. Now, he’ll be looking to reverse the situation and perform at his peak versus MI.
You guys ain’t ready for Captain Hardik Pandya redemption in IPL 2025 pic.twitter.com/cRUvuah2Va
— Mumbai Indians FC (@MIPaltanFamily) March 28, 2025Rashid will be in command of the ball at about the same time as Pandya walks out to bat in the middle overs. The MI all-rounder has scored 31 runs against the Afghan bowler in their seven Twenty20 encounters together, with the latter defeating Pandya thrice.
3. Shubman Gill vs Deepak Chahar
There have been some pretty intriguing matches between Deepak Chahar, the newest member of the MI team, and GT captain Shubman Gill. Going into the next GT vs. MI match, both players are playing well, so it will be fascinating to watch who wins.
Chahar bowls new balls for MI, while Gill opens the batting for GT. Chahar was a member of the CSK camp when he last dismissed Gill in a Twenty20 match, which took place at Chennai’s Chepauk Stadium.
— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) March 27, 2025 In their ten innings together, Gill has amassed 78 runs off 55 deliveries at a strike rate of 141.81. Against Chahar, who has removed the GT opener four times in these games, he has hit ten fours and a handful of sixes.
