Ahmedabad, March 24 Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bowl first against Gujarat Titans in Match 5 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Sunday.
Just like their head coach Mark Boucher had, in the team's pre-tournament press conference in Mumbai, said that they could do, the five-time champions selected three overseas players -- Tim David, Gerald Coetzee and Luke Wood -- in their playing XI instead of the four permitted.
Pandya, who has switched to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans a few months back, said it looks like a good pitch and the dew might come into play later in the match. Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the entire IPL 2023 season, is back in the team.
"Looks like a good track, might have dew later. (It) Feels good to be back. Obviously, my birthplace is Gujarat, and I got a lot of success in Gujarat so grateful to this state. But my cricketing growth has been in Mumbai," he said at the toss.
He said the team has been preparing for the past two weeks since they started a camp in Mumbai. "Boys are eager to go out and perform," he added.
Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill said he was excited to lead the team on a ground he has many fond memories. Three players -- Umesh Yadav, Spencer Johnson, and Azmatullah Omarzai -- are making their debut for Gujarat Titans.
"Excited to captain at a venue where I have many fond memories. The crowd has been one of our strengths. I have been here for a week and have played a couple of practice sessions," said Gill.
Playing XIs:
Mumbai Indians: Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Tim David, Shams Mulani, Gerald Coetzee, Piyush Chala, Jasprit Bumrah, Luke Wood
Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Umesh Yadav, Sai Kishore, Spencer Johnson.
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