GT vs MI Match Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2025 Eliminator match?

If the Mumbai Indians (MI) are to win their sixth Indian Premier League (IPL) title, they will need to beat as many as three oppositions for the first time this year. The five-time champions will first face off against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Eliminator on Friday, May 30.

Mullanpur will host the contest. GT captain Shubman Gill has expressed happiness at playing at a venue close to home, but the ground has thrown up a few surprises in recent times. In yesterday's Qualifier 1 clash, the wicket threw up some spice, with pacers from both sides getting appreciable movement and bounce inside the powerplay.

So both the Titans and the Indians will need to be wary first up, given the composition of their sides following the departure of a few overseas stars. Kusal Mendis is all set to replace Jos Buttler for GT, while MI will be without Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks and Corbin Bosch. Jonny Bairstow is likely to feature, and it remains to be seen whether Charith Asalanka and Richard Gleeson enter the fray as well.

Gujarat beat Mumbai in both their meetings in the league stage and have won their last four head-to-head clashes. Momentum is on their side, but Buttler's absence and a loss of form ahead of the playoffs don't work in their favor. MI have been a touch inconsistent lately and have clear weaknesses in the batting unit, so it's not like they are much better off either.

MI's squad for IPL 2025: Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Bevon Jacobs, Robin Minz, Jonny Bairstow, Krishnan Shrijith, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Charith Asalanka, Raj Angad Bawa, Raghu Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Karn Sharma, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, Satyanarayana Raju, Arjun Tendulkar, Richard Gleeson.

GT's squad for IPL 2025: Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, Sherfane Rutherford, Kusal Mendis, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Rashid Khan, Washington Sundar, M Shahrukh Khan, Mahipal Lomror, Nishant Sindhu, Arshad Khan, Jayant Yadav, Glenn Phillips, Karim Janat, Manav Suthar, Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gerald Coetzee, Gurnoor Brar, Ishant Sharma, Kulwant Khejroliya.

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IPL 2025: Wounded PBKS wait in Qualifier 2 for either MI or GT

2025 IPL - Punjab Kings v Mumbai Indians - Source: Getty

MI's path to victory is clearer than GT's. In Buttler's absence, Gill and Sai Sudharsan will hold the key for the Titans, who have been wholly dependent on their openers to do the bulk of their run-scoring. And given how Mullanpur played in the last game, it's easy to see either Trent Boult or Jasprit Bumrah bowl unplayable deliveries to the Gujarat opening duo.

Mumbai, on the other hand, can bank on the experience of Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya in the middle order. The MI skipper is due a match-winning knock or two, while the likes of Naman Dhir have chipped in when required. There's more depth and power in the lineup, although key players - especially Tilak Varma - haven't been in the best of nick lately.

Anything can happen in a playoff game, especially with both teams being far from full strength. But MI have more bases covered across the two departments, and it should be easier for them to prevent a defeat. This is a close contest to call, but Hardik might just be the happier captain at the end of the night.

Prediction: MI to win the IPL 2025 Eliminator.