GT vs MI 5th Match Prediction

GT vs MI Team Previews

Gujarat Titans

The Gujarat Titans have had a fabulous IPL journey so far. They won the inaugural edition in which they participated and then narrowly lost the Final in IPL 2023. This time, though, it looks like they have a few more obstacles to overcome. 

Shubman Gill is the new captain and he is a bit untested in that regard. Also, replacing Hardik Pandya is nearly impossible since India does not have any genuine seam-bowling all-rounder apart from him. The news that Mohammad Shami is not going to be available for selection also makes the team significantly weaker. 

Does that make GT a weak side or a pushover? Far from it. 

We expect Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and David Miller to play in the pivotal batting roles. They are all proven match-winners who love batting on the absolute batting paradise that Ahmedabad usually provides. Wriddhiman Saha at the top is useful only for getting a rapid start but can actually harm the team is bats for too long. 

Shahrukh Khan, Vijay Shankar, and Azmatullah Omarzai are perhaps the players who will start in the middle order and attempt to give GT the power needed against the spinners. 

The bowling lineup is a bit weaker than usual. Umesh Yadav will have to recreate some magic to fill the hole left by Shami while Azmatullah Omarzai may be seen as a like for like replacement for Hardik Pandya. Rashid Khan is returning after a long injury layoff but his partnership with Noor Ahmad in the middle is going to be crucial. 

Kartik Tyagi is the other Indian seamer that GT has picked. He has pace but is not very reliable and seems to have fallen behind in recent times. 

Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians are normally a well-settled team heading into the new season. As we have discussed earlier, this is not the case but we don't think that is a bad thing. Hardik Pandya is an astute leader and might free up Rohit Sharma to play at his best. 

Ishan Kishan has been in the eye of the storm for his lack of domestic cricket appearances and how that affects him remains to be seen. We hope to see a rejuvenated Kishan smashing the doors down with his performances. A couple of failures, though, will mount the pressure on him. 

The middle order of MI is very strong. SKY, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Tim David, and Nehal Wadhera could all find a place in the playing eleven. In fact, we could have Mohammad Nabi batting lower down the order as well. This depth and power is far superior to what GT has in its ranks. 

The main issue is going to be getting the players batting in the positions that they enjoy the most. 

Among the bowling, MI has world-class seam bowling options but their spin contingent is extremely weak. Mohammad Nabi and Piyush Chawla could be the lead spinners for MI while Jasprit Bumrah, Gerald Coetzee or Roamrio Shepherd could lead the seam attack. 

Hardik Pandya adds balance as the seamer but others like Tilak Varma might need to roll their arms over also.