India Test captain and Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Shubman Gill put an end to swirling rumours of a rift with all-rounder Hardik Pandya, following their clash in the IPL 2025 Eliminator against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Friday.
Speculation had emerged on social media that Gill deliberately avoided shaking hands with Hardik at the toss at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. Addressing the rumours, Gill took to Instagram to clear the air, writing, “Nothing but love (Don’t believe everything you see on the internet) @hardikpandya95.”
The Eliminator saw Gujarat Titans fall short in their chase of a daunting 229-run target. Shubman Gill was dismissed early, managing just 1 run. In contrast, Pandya played a blistering cameo for MI, smashing 22* off just nine deliveries at a staggering strike rate of 244.44, which included three towering sixes.
MI had earlier won the toss and opted to bat first. Openers Rohit Sharma and Jonny Bairstow got off to a flying start. Bairstow scored a quick 47 off 22 balls, while Rohit anchored the innings with a masterful 81 off 50 deliveries, his third fifty in IPL knockouts. With this knock, Rohit also crossed the 7,000-run milestone in IPL history, becoming only the second player to do so.
Suryakumar Yadav (33 off 20), Tilak Varma (25 off 11), and Hardik Pandya (22* off 9) added explosive cameos to take MI to a formidable 228/5. Sai Kishore (2/42) and Prasidh Krishna (2/53) were GT’s standout bowlers.
In response, despite losing Gill early, GT mounted a strong fightback. Sai Sudharsan led the charge with a classy 80 off 49 balls, forging key partnerships with Kusal Mendis (20 off 10) and Washington Sundar (48 off 24). However, MI’s disciplined death bowling, led by Trent Boult (2/56) and supported by Bumrah, Gleeson, Santner, and Ashwani Kumar, restricted GT to 208/6 in their 20 overs.
With this 20-run victory, Mumbai Indians advanced to Qualifier 2 and will face Punjab Kings (PBKS) on June 1 in Ahmedabad for a place in the final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on June 3. Rohit Sharma was deservedly named Player of the Match for his match-defining knock.
