The second qualifying round of the IPL 2023 playoffs will take place on Friday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, pitting the defending champion Gujarat Titans (GT) against the five-time champion Mumbai Indians (MI). GT will be eager to show that their loss to CSK in the first qualifier in Chennai was an aberration by defeating MI at home. GT is seeking for a second straight IPL championship after finishing first in the league standings after winning 10 of their 14 games to advance to the playoffs. The squad captained by Hardik Pandya has been the most effective so far in the competition and still has a strong chance of winning the championship.
GT defeated CSK, DC, PBKS, KKR, RR, MI, SRH, RCB once, and LSG twice during the league stage. While they fell to KKR, RR, MI, and DC, they recovered from each defeat by immediately reiterating their record of winning championships. The bowlers fared well in the first qualifying match against CSK to hold them to 172/7, but the batsmen faltered under the strain of the CSK bowlers on the slow, dry surface, and GT ultimately lost by 15 runs. To secure a spot in the championship game against CSK in Ahmedabad, they will need to defeat MI with an all-around effort.
This season, Shubman Gill has scored the most runs for GT with 722 runs, including two century and four half-centuries. He needs eight more runs to break the IPL 2023 record for most runs scored. Saha has scored 299 runs this season, compared to Vijay Shankar's 301 and David Miller's 259 runs, respectively. Up to this point, Hardik Pandya has scored 297 runs. Sai Sudharsan has also contributed this season, scoring 223 runs in only six innings. Abhinav Manohar, Rashid Khan, and Rahul Tewatia have all contributed to the squad with some crucial hits.
The GT hitters struggled mightily against CSK in the first qualifier, and they'll be eager to forget about it when they face MI. For GT, the bowlers have been outstanding the whole season. Rashid Khan is second on the list with 25 wickets, while Mohammed Shami leads with 26 in this year's IPL.
Despite having seven wickets, Alzarri Joseph was replaced in the lineup by Noor Ahmed in the latter stages of the competition. Ahmed has so far had an outstanding season, taking 14 wickets in eleven games for an economy of 7. Additionally, Mohit Sharma has taken 19 wickets for an eight economy. Josh Little has also contributed to the squad with crucial wickets. Shanaka is anticipated to be replaced in the lineup by Abhinav Manohar since the Sri Lankan all-rounder has failed to make an impression in recent matches. Josh Little or Yash Dayal might take Darshan Nalkande's spot in the bowling unit. GT has access to Impact players Sai Sudharsan, Josh Little, Jayant Yadav, Yash Dayal, and Dasun Shanaka.
GT's expected lineup vs. MI:
Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha are the starters.
David Miller, Vijay Shankar, and Abhinav Manohar are in the top two positions.
All-around players Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, and Hardik Pandya (c).
Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmed, and Mohit Sharma are all bowlers.
Impact Player: Sai Sudharsan, Josh Little, Jayant Yadav, Yash Dayal, and Dasun Shanaka are GT's potential impact players.
