In a controversial moment during the 9th match of Indian Premier League 2025, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya and Gujarat Titans’ star spinner R Sai Kishore were involved in a staredown. Such furious was the face-off that Hardik even ended up yelling “F*** off” to the spinner. The incident took place in the 15th over of the MI chase. Kishore started with two dot balls to Hardik before the batter slammed a four. The next delivery was also a dot ball and this is when the drama took place.
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Hardik Pandya returned to lead the Mumbai Indians as the five-time champions won the toss and elected to bowl first against Gujarat Titans in ninth match of IPL 2025 at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday.
Both teams entered the match on the back of defeats in their respective opening games. Hardik had missed MI’s season opener against Chennai Super Kings due to a one-match ban he copped for maintaining a slow over rate last year.
Apart from Hardik, spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman was also included in the playing eleven of MI, with Robin Minz, Will Jacks and Vignesh Puthur, who took 3-32 against CSK on debut, making way. Minz, however, came in an impact substitute later in the second innings.
“The simple reason is we don’t know how the pitch will play, plus the dew factor. It’s always better to bat second on the black-soil pitch. Only last year we played on black soil, otherwise we have been playing on red soil. Last year, we had the game under wraps but couldn’t finish it.”
“The prep has been fantastic, the boys are excited and we back each other, be there for each other. Very happy stage. I come back, and the others we are keeping the options open. Always about playing good cricket, planning right and enjoying the game,” Hardik said.
GT skipper Shubman Gill said he would have looked to bowl first as well and that his playing eleven is unchanged. “Batted first plenty of times here, so nothing changes for us. It is all about assessing the conditions and seeing what target we can set, and if we are chasing it is about how to get to that target.”
“Plenty of positives from the last game, we just got slow in the middle and that post us, but still we managed to score about 200 runs in 14 overs. We have got the same team, might see one change with the impact sub. We want to have a lefty – righty (opening) combination, and Jos has been playing at three for England, so nothing changes for him,” he said.
(With IANS Inputs
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