The IPL 2025 Eliminator on Friday promises a high-stakes clash, where Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans will lock horns in a winner-takes-all battle. While it is a knockout game, both sides are no strangers to high-pressure encounters. Mumbai, with five IPL titles, are seasoned campaigners, whereas Gujarat Titans have swiftly established themselves as contenders, reaching the playoffs three times in four seasons, including a championship win in their debut year, 2022. At the heart of this crucial match are two captains, Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya, both with significant stakes. Gill, recently appointed India’s Test captain, has an opportunity to enhance his leadership credentials by steering GT deep into the playoffs. For Hardik, the 2025 season has been a redemptive arc. After facing jeers during his return to MI in 2024, he has since regained the affection of the Wankhede faithful. Guiding MI to an IPL title would not only affirm his legacy but also place him among the franchise’s all-time greats. However, the road to the trophy is paved with challenges, and both leaders will need to address key weaknesses in their respective teams. For Mumbai, concerns around their batting tempo, especially when setting a target, remain unresolved. The lack of urgency at the top can put undue pressure on the middle order. This is a tactical aspect that Hardik and the MI think tank must confront head-on. In contrast, Mumbai's bowling continues to be their biggest asset. With a potent mix of pace and spin, they remain capable of dismantling any batting lineup on their day. The Titans, meanwhile, will have to counter that threat smartly, especially in the powerplay. MI’s playoff history Playoff finishes by year 2010 – Runners-up (Lost to CSK by 22 runs) 2011 – Eliminator exit (Lost to RCB by 43 runs) 2012 – Qualifier 2 exit (Lost to CSK by 38 runs) 2013 – Champions (Defeated CSK by 23 runs) 2014 – Qualifier 2 exit (Lost to CSK by 7 wickets) 2015 – Champions (Beat CSK by 41 runs) 2017 – Champions (Narrow win by 1 run vs RPS) 2019 – Champions (Won by 1 run vs CSK) 2020 – Champions (Won by 5 wickets vs DC) 2023 – Eliminated in Qualifier 2 (Lost to GT by 62 runs) Overall playoff record Matches Played: 20 Wins: 13 Losses: 7 Last Match: Lost to Gujarat Titans by 62 runs (Qualifier 2, 2023) Highest Playoff Score: 202/5 vs Chennai Super Kings (Final, 2015) Lowest Playoff Score: 111/4 vs Kolkata Knight Riders (Qualifier 2, 2017)
30 May,2025 04:55 PM IST | Mullanpur | mid-day online correspondentPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met the find of the tournament (IPL 2025), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, at the Patna airport. PM Modi shared a post on his official social media handle, which read "At Patna airport, met the young cricketing sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi and his family. His cricketing skills are being admired all over the nation! My best wishes to him for his future endeavours". Taking to X: At Patna airport, met the young cricketing sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi and his family. His cricketing skills are being admired all over the nation! My best wishes to him for his future endeavours. pic.twitter.com/pvUrbzdyU6 — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 30, 2025 Earlier, during the inauguration of the Khelo India Youth Games in Bihar, PM Modi hailed the youngster by saying that there is a lot of hard work behind his performance in the IPL 2025. "I have seen in the IPL, the son of Bihar, Vaibhav Suryavanshi's spectacular performance. At such a young age, Vaibhav has set such a great record. There is a lot of hard work behind Vaibhav's performance," said India's incumbent PM. In the IPL 2025, Vaibhav Suryavanshi gained the limelight for becoming the youngest-ever player to debut in the history of the cash-rich league. During the tournament's auction, Rajasthan Royals acquired the services of the 14-year-old for a prize money of Rs 1.10 crore. Later, the youngster faced severe criticism stating the age fraud. The left-hander silenced all his critics by delivering performances in the IPL 2025. He rose to the occasion during the group stage match against Gujarat Titans at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Having needed to chase a target of 210 runs, the left-hander opened the innings for Rajasthan alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. Facing just 38 deliveries, Suryavanshi smashed 101 runs, which was laced with seven boundaries and 11 maximums. His innings came to an end with a strike rate of 265.79. With this, he scripted history by smashing the fastest IPL century by any Indian player. Following his heroics, Vaibhav Suryavanshi also earned a spot in India's U-19 team for the England tour. The 'Boys in Blue' will kickstart their tour on June 24. Later, the first One-Day match will be played on June 27, followed by the two matches on June 30 and July 2. The last two One-Day games will be played on July 5 and 7. Following the white-ball series, the team will play two multi-day matches. The first will take place from July 12 to 15 in Beckenham, and the second will be held from July 20 to 23 in Chelmsford.
30 May,2025 04:11 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 against Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru came victorious by eight wickets at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium. Rajat Patidar and his men have now sealed the IPL 2025 final berth, which is scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium on June 3. Ahead of the final, former RCB teammate and South African cricketer AB de Villiers feels stalwart Virat Kohli is going to play a big hand in the title clash. "The ultimate team man, and he looks very, very focused. Obviously, the job's not done yet, but I'm very excited to watch him play. I have no doubt in my mind he's going to play a big hand in the final," AB de Villiers said on JioHotstar. The South African also stated that he saw Virat Kohli very focused at the time he stepped out of the bus ahead of Qualifier 1 against Punjab. "The first time I saw him on the screen for PBKS vs RCB game, was when he got out of the bus, and I just saw a lot of focus in that guy. That's the typical kind of body language we're so used to seeing. And what I love most about this is he didn't score runs today, but we still saw him right till the end, celebrating with the batters," said the 41-year-old. The former cricketer urged fans to forget about the past two seasons when the RCB reached the finals in 2011 and 2016. "I think 2011 was a really good chance to win the title. Everyone talks about the 2016 season, but let's forget about the past. Where are RCB now? In another final, 2025. It's closer than you think and smaller than you think," said de Villiers. Further, he stated that RCB got the right mix during the auction. He also added that RCB has a healthy environment, as all the players contributed to the team's victory on different occasions. "So hopefully those little moments will go in RCB's favour, come the 3rd of June. It was around the auction time when I felt like RCB really got the balance right this year. It's not a one-dimensional batting line-up, not a one-dimensional bowling line-up -- there are options. I just loved the look of that squad when I saw it come out. They found a way to gel together as a unit. As you can see, all the players individually chipped in at times, and that is a sign of a healthy environment," concluded the veteran of 78 T20I matches. (With PTI Inputs)
30 May,2025 02:05 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 against Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru came victorious by eight wickets at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium. During the match, Suyash Sharma played a crucial role for the Bengaluru-based franchise. Completing three overs, the spinner returned with the figures of 17 runs and claimed three wickets. He was accompanied by premier pacer Josh Hazlewood, who, too, snapped three wickets for 21 runs. Speaking about his stellar contribution, "I have performed well, that’s why everyone is happy for me. My coaches gave me just one role, which was to hit the stumps, whether I bowl leg-break, googly, flipper, or any other variation. I just try to finish all my percentage balls on the stumps," said Suyash during the post-match presentation. Further, the 22-year-old spinner expressed his confidence in lifting the title on June 3. “It (googly) is my stock ball, and also I got a bit of help from the wicket as well, so that’s why many weren’t able to pick it up. Not quite now (whether he will be celebrating tonight), I will celebrate on the 3rd (June) and very hard as well,” he added. Later in the second essay, RCB's in-form opening batsman Phil Salt played an unbeaten knock of 56 runs. His match-winning knock came in just 27 balls, including six boundaries and three maximums. Speaking about his knock, Salt stated that he just tried not to fall on Punjab pacer Arshdeep Singh's deliveries. “Great feeling right now, it (the ball) did move a bit. I think that was not the worst wicket to have played on this season. (Replying to what was going on in his mind during the chase) Don't get out to Arshdeep, we played two group games (with PBKS) and he's found different ways to get me out, so I was just trying to react to the ball.” “I said before the game to Andy (Flower) that it was a blessing in disguise for us. (This win) Gives us the momentum, it is a cliche but true, that's what you want at the backend of the tournament, want to hit your straps and play a part with the bat or ball,” he concluded. RCB will now play the IPL 2025 final on June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. (With IANS Inputs)
30 May,2025 01:07 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 against Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru came victorious by eight wickets at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium. Following the loss against RCB, Punjab skipper Shreyas Iyer said, "We have lost the battle, but not the war". The right-hander managed to score just two runs in three balls. Having needed to chase a target of 102 runs, RCB scored 106 runs in just 10 overs for the loss of two wickets. During the run chase, RCB's opening batsman Phil Salt stayed unbeaten on 56 runs. Facing just 27 balls, he scored six boundaries and three maximums. Shouldering him was skipper Rajat Patidar, who smashed 15 runs in eight deliveries, including a boundary and a maximum. Despite losing the match, Punjab will get a chance to reach the final. They will now lock horns against the winner of the match between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians. A lot of indiscreet shots off both RCB pacers and their leg-spinner Suyash Sharma brought about Punjab Kings' downfall but Shreyas didn't feel that his on-field decisions were wrong. "I am not doubting my decisions to be honest. We got to work on our batting especially on this (kind of) wicket. In all the games, we have played here, there has been some variable bounce," said the 30-year-old. "We can't give such reasons because we are professionals at the end of the day, and we have to bat according to the situation and we have to live up to it," he added. With just 48 hours in their hand, the Iyer-led Punjab will now gear up for Qualifier 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. "Not a day to forget, but got to go back to the drawing board. We lost a lot of wickets (in the first innings.) There's a lot to go back and study on."Whatever we did in terms of planning, outside of the ground whatever (planning) we did, I think it was on point. Just that we couldn't execute it on the field. Can't even blame the bowlers, as it was a low total to defend," the skipper concluded. (With PTI Inputs)
30 May,2025 01:06 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe former New Zealand coach David Trist, who guided the team to the Champions Trophy in 2000 (earlier the ICC Knockout) has died at the age of 77 in Christchurch on Thursday, the New Zealand Cricket announced. Trist, a former Canterbury pace bowler who played 24 first-class matches and six List A matches during a 14-year playing career from 1968 to 1982, coached the New Zealand men's team for two years from 1999 to 2001 and was at the helm for what remains the team’s only global white ball title, the ICC Knockout Trophy in Nairobi on October 15, 2000. In the final in New Zealand beat India by four wickets with Chris Cairns scoring an unbeaten century. View this post on Instagram A post shared by BLACKCAPS (@blackcapsnz) "NZC is deeply saddened to confirm the passing of former BLACKCAPS coach David Trist, who died in Christchurch yesterday, aged 77. A former Canterbury and New Zealand pace bowler, David coached the BLACKCAPS from 1999 to 2001, during which time they won the ICC Champions Trophy in Nairobi. NZC extends its heartfelt condolences to David’s family and friends," New Zealand Cricket said in a statement. In his first-class career Trist took 57 wickets and played for New Zealand against Victoria at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1972. Trist took over the Black Caps from Steve Rixon, the Australian who was a tough taskmaster and oversaw a prized Test series victory in England in 1999. After leaving the New Zealand role, Trist became coaching director of Christchurch's Old Collegians Cricket Club as well as working in India and England. He previously had success with Canterbury during his stint from 1989-1993, and overseas in South Africa, the Netherlands and Hong Kong. He coached Eastern Province to a South African title in 1989 and coached The Netherlands before returning home and coaching Canterbury and Auckland before getting the national job. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 May,2025 10:22 AM IST | Christchurch | IANSA clutch of frontline Test players, including opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, will be eager to acclimatise to English conditions during India A’s first four-day unofficial Test against the England Lions, beginning here on Friday. Apart from Jaiswal and Nitish, the India A side has Abhimanyu Easwaran, Dhruv Jurel, Karun Nair, pacers Akash Deep and Shardul Thakur who will want to have a feel of the pronounced swing on offer here, ahead of the Test series against England, starting from June 20. It’s imperative too because these players, except Karun, are on their maiden tour to England. It starts with Easwaran. India will require an opener to partner Jaiswal at the pole position after the retirement of Rohit Sharma and a batter at No. 4 slot which was left vacant by Virat Kohli. In the context of an opener, the performance of Easwaran, who has extensive experience in the position through his 101-match-old first-class career, will come under scrutiny. Now there is an open space to explore after Rohit’s departure and Easwaran will certainly want to produce a stellar effort to lock his place either as an opener or No. 3 in the five-match Test series. Karun’s outings too will be in focus after forcing his way back to the India team after eight years on the back of a stellar run in the domestic circuit since the 2023-24 season. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 May,2025 08:56 AM IST | Canterbury | PTIOf the eight teams that appeared in the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008, only three sides — Punjab Kings (PBKS), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Delhi Capitals — have not won the prestigious title. Two of these three teams — PBKS and RCB have been drawn to meet in Qualifier 1 here on Thursday, with the winner advancing to the final, to be played in Ahmedabad on June 3. RCB have finished runners-up thrice while PBKS were second-best once, way back in 2014. The loser on Thursday night will get another bite at the cherry as they will take on the winner of the Eliminator, thus keeping their final hopes alive. Punjab Kings players celebrate the dismissal of CSK’s Shaik Rasheed in Chennai last month. Pic/Getty Images Both PBKS and RCB have momentum on their side as they are coming into the Playoffs with morale-boosting wins in their respective last league games — PBKS defeating Mumbai Indians in Jaipur and RCB overcoming Lucknow Super Giants in a thrilling encounter in Lucknow on Tuesday night. Tight schedule The win for RCB was much needed as they had not won a single game after the resumption of the IPL following a break due to tensions on the border. There is no doubt that the reworked schedule has been unkind to RCB more than any other team, as they arrived in Chandigarh only on Wednesday evening and will be battling it out in the Playoffs tomorrow without much time to rest. And if they lose Qualifier 1, they will be required to play two more matches, Qualifier 2 and the final, within a matter of three days in a bid to clinch their maiden title. Jitesh Sharma, the stand-in RCB captain in place of recovering Rajat Patidar, said after the match in Lucknow that despite the tough schedule, the team remains confident going into the Playoffs. “Though the schedule is taxing, we want to enjoy the moment. We’ll try to recover well [in time for Qualifier 1]. We’ll look to carry the momentum [of winning in Lucknow] into the next match. The credit for taking us into the Playoffs goes to [regular skipper] Rajat Patidar [who is playing as an Impact player as he is still recovering from an injury]. I had the responsibility of maintaining his record and I’m happy to have done so.” Hazlewood may return On Qualifier 1, Jitesh said: “Josh Hazlewood [who is also recovering from injury] will perhaps play in the knockouts. We, as a team, are in a good space as we have a strong belief system. Look at our playing XI we have [many] match-winners.” On the other hand, PBKS are having their best season since 2014. Led by the dynamic Shreyas Iyer, who had guided Kolkata Knight Riders to the title last season, there is a belief in the camp that this could be their moment. But for that, they have to first overcome RCB, who are not going to be easy despite this being Punjab’s home ground because in their league match at the same venue on April 20, RCB had beaten Punjab quite easily. That should give the visitors a lot of confidence going into this fixture. There is no doubt that it’s going to be another humdinger between the teams with a similar record in the league phase. Both have won nine of their 14 games with one washout apiece and a tally of 19 points, separated only by Net Run Rate.
30 May,2025 08:50 AM IST | New Chandigarh | Santosh SuriIndia Women will play their counterparts from Australia in a three-match ODI series at home in September as part of the preparations for the ICC World Cup which the country is hosting later this year, the BCCI said. The board also said the men’s ‘A’ teams from Australia and South Africa will be touring the country from September-November during which they will play multi-day and limited overs matches. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 May,2025 08:48 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIEngland thrashed the West Indies by 238 runs to win the first one-day international at Edgbaston on Thursday. England, in Harry Brook's first match as permanent white-ball captain, piled up 400-8 before dismissing the West Indies for just 162 to end a seven-match losing streak in ODI cricket and go 1-0 up in this three-match series. This was England's second-biggest win, in terms of runs, in all ODI cricket. Barbados-born Jacob Bethell, back from the Indian Premier League, top-scored for England with 82 on his Warwickshire home ground after Ben Duckett (60), Brook (58) and Joe Root (57) also made fifties. It was an expensive innings for the West Indies bowlers, with paceman Jayden Seales taking four wickets but conceding 84 runs in nine overs. West Indies now needed 401 for victory, with only one side in ODI history having scored over 400 runs to win -- South Africa's celebrated 438-9 against Australia at Johannesburg in 2006. But they were dismissed with more than 23 overs remaining in an innings where last man Seales' 29 not out was the top score and one of just three contributions above 20. England quicks Jamie Overton (3-22) and Saqib Mahmood (3-32) did the bulk of the damage. The series continues in Cardiff on Sunday before finishing at the Oval on Tuesday. Brief scores England 400-8, 50 overs (J Bethell 82, B Duckett 60, H Brook 58, J Root 57; J Seales 4-84) West Indies 162, 26.2 overs (J Overton, 3-22, S Mahmood 3-32) This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
30 May,2025 08:45 AM IST | Birmingham | AFPIt’s going to be a Western Indian Derby when the Gujarat Titans take on the Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator of the IPL at the new PCA Stadium on Friday. The losers will bid goodbye to the tournament, while the winners will travel to Ahmedabad for Qualifier 2, to be played on Sunday. MI are bidding to hit the IPL for a six, having already won the coveted title five times, the last one coming in 2020, while GT, led by new Indian Test captain Shubman Gill, will be out to thwart their designs and keep their hopes of a second title alive. IPL 2025: Fierce pace duo, Jasprit Bumrah-Trent Boult gear up to face GT in Eliminator GT openers Sai Sudharsan (left) and Shubman Gill who have put on three 100-plus run partnerships this season. Pic/AFP Early wickets vital MI will be wary of GT on two counts. Firstly, GT openers Gill and rising star Sai Sudharsan more often than not have given their team solid starts. The duo is in phenomenal form and currently are the top two run-getters, with Sudharsan heading the list with 679 runs from 14 matches, followed by Gill with 649. MI thus have their task cut out and know exactly where to strike to gain the upper hand. That job will have to be performed by the MI pace bowling pair of Jasprit Bumrah (with 17 wickets) and Trent Boult (with 19 scalps). Their bowling prowess has been largely responsible for the revival of MI after they had made their customary poor start before recovering to just about make it to the Playoffs. Rohit Sharma GT ahead in head-to-head Secondly, GT have an upper hand in head-to-head battles between the two sides. Of the seven matches between the two, GT have triumphed five times while MI have won just twice. Thus, both the momentum and history are with the young GT team, which has been well guided by their hands-on coach Ashish Nehra. MI, on the other hand, have their concerns. Their batting has not been as consistent as they would have liked, relying mostly on Suryakumar Yadav, who is third in the list after the GT duo. Suryakumar Yadav has 640 runs in 14 matches so far and he is the one who has given the fillip to the batting time and again. But all eyes will be on former Indian Test captain Rohit Sharma, who has the knack of being a big-match player. He showed that quality in the Champions Trophy in Dubai, where he played a substantial role with the bat in the semi-final as well as the final. Thus, if he gets going, it will be half the battle won for MI. It will also be the first time the new Test captain Gill and Rohit, the person he has replaced, will be face to face after the former was named skipper for the upcoming Test series in England. Rohit is at the fag end of this illustrious career, while Gill is slated to be the next big name to rule Indian cricket over the next decade. Thus, before he embarks on the challenging assignment in England, Gill would be eager to get the better of MI and hopefully win GT another IPL title. It’s not going to be easy, but he would give it his best shot. 36Total scalps for MI pace duo Bumrah and Boult this season
30 May,2025 08:41 AM IST | New Chandigarh | Santosh SuriADVERTISEMENT
