In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 Eliminator match, Mumbai Indians (MI) hammered Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 81 runs and set their face-off with Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 2 on May 26 at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium. Riding on Akash Madhwal’s terrific bowling spell (5/5 in 3.3 overs), Mumbai pulled off a convincing victory against Lucknow in the crucial contest.

Against Gujarat, MI will look to be extraordinary again to reserve their berth for the final match against their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the fabled Gujarat stadium. However, before the huge game against Titans, MI’s endeavours will be to select a perfect playing XI that can deliver a victory to them against the defending champions.

Here's Mumbai Indians’ predicted XI against Gujarat Titans

Openers: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper)

After failing with his bat in the round-robin stage, Rohit Sharma continued his dry run in the Eliminator match. In the important game, Mumbai Indians (MI) needed his experience and skills to put up a healthy score on the board but the MI skipper again went back to the pavilion cheaply after contributing only 11 runs to his side off 10 deliveries. 

Along with Rohit, Ishan Kishan also left Mumbai in trouble in the Eliminator game. Scoring only 15 off 12, Kishan followed his captain to the dugout in the next over. In the upcoming match, these two batters will have to be among the runs to help Mumbai punch their tickets for the final contest.

Middle-Order: Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David

Suryakumar Yadav looked confident with his bat against LSG, scoring 33 off just 20 with four boundaries (two fours and two maximums). However, he couldn’t make it big, and noting that, he will now strive to be effective against the Hardik Pandya-led side on Friday at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Tilak Varma returned to MI’s playing XI almost after three weeks. In the massive contest, he struggled to amass runs quickly but considering his potential and talent, the MI team management will not lose their faith in their young stalwart.

Tim David played 13 deliveries against LSG but couldn’t play an explosive innings, piling up only 13 runs in the game. Against GT, his services might be needed in the lower middle order, and if that occasion arises, he will have to step up to deliver an exceptional knock to his side from his bat.

All-rounder: Cameron Green

Cameron Green has served MI efficiently in the batting department. As a top-order batter, he has succeeded in creating pressure on bowlers with his aggressive batting style. Against Super Giants, the Aussie showed that he is a man of big games, with his rapid knock of 41 runs that came in just 23 deliveries. The same will be expected from him against the quality bowling unit of Gujarat Titans.

Bowlers: Chris Jordan, Hrithik Shokeen, Piyush Chawla, Jason, Behrendorff, Akash Madhwal

Against Super Giants, Chris Jordan delivered a decent spell to his team but in the huge game at the Gujarat stadium, he will have to continue his form. So far, he has taken only three wickets in five matches, at an expensive economy of 10.05. However, forgetting his previous failures, the speedster will look forward to bringing joy to the faces of MI supporters by delivering an effective spell to his squad against the defending champions.

Hrithik Shokeen hasn’t been upto the mark in the competition, thus far. Picking up only three wickets in eight matches at a horrendous economy of 9.84, the right-arm bowler has failed to reinforce Mumbai’s spin department. In the Eliminator match, he bowled only one over and gave away 18 runs. If he gets a chance against Gujarat, the youngster’s responsibility will be to improve his numbers.

Piyush Chawla has been excellent throughout the competition as he has done his job efficiently with the ball. Strengthening his team's spin attack, the veteran has grabbed 21 wickets in 15 matches at an economy of 7.75. In the vital match coming ahead, MI will want him to trap batters with his experience and leg-spin bowling skills.  

Jason Behrendorff will be expected to spearhead MI’s pace attack from the front against Titans. His inconsistent bowling has been a headache for Mumbai but considering his capability and experience, MI will trust him to bolster their fast-bowling unit along with Chris Jordan and Akash Madhwal. 

Akash Madhwal made IPL 2023 Eliminator match memorable for MI fans, with his excellent bowling display. Playing the role of wrecker-in-chief, Madhwal picked up a fifer in his 3.3 overs. For his extraordinary spell of 5/5, the pacer also received the Player of the Match award.. Against Gujarat, he will look to continue his brilliant form with the ball to take his team to the final.

Mumbai Indians (MI) Probable Playing 11:

Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk) Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Chris Jordan, Hrithik Shokeen, Piyush Chawla, Jason Behrendorff & Akash Madhwal 

Mumbai Indians (MI) Probable Impact Players:

Nehal Wadhera, Vishnu Vinod, Ramandeep Singh, Arshad Khan, Raghav Goyal