IPL 2022: Match 51 – Predicted Gujarat Titans Playing XI vs Mumbai Indians

The table-toppers Gujarat Titans will lock horns with the bottom-placed Mumbai Indians in the 51^st match of the IPL 2022 on May 6 (Friday) at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. GT suffered a loss against the Punjab Kings in their previous encounter, but they had been on a five-match winning streak before that. Even after the loss, they maintained their place on the top of the table.

The GT skipper Hardik Pandya will look for redemption as takes on his former team. While Mumbai registered their first victory of the tournament against the Rajasthan Royals, the Titans will aim at keeping themselves at the top and continuing with the same playing combination in order to carry the winning momentum.

Here’s the predicted Playing XI of Gujarat Titans for Match 51 of IPL 2022:

Openers: Wriddhiman Saha & Shubman Gill

Saha has been in good touch for the past few games and has been fulfilling his role as an opener quite nicely. His form on top of the game will be very much required by the team for a solid start, especially for adding as many runs in the powerplay possible.

Gill has been on and off this season, but he will have to up his game and build a partnership with Saha to take the game long. He should focus on settling down, forming a pace, and then start with the power-hitting instead of taking off from the first ball to lose his wicket early.

Middle-order: Sai Sudharsan, David Miller

Sudharsan has gelled well in the team set-up and knows exactly what the team requires from him. When the openers failed to put up a big show, Sudharsan game in at No. 3 against PBKS and anchored the game till the very last ball of the innings. His composed half-century was the reason behind GT posting a par total.

Miller was disappointed after the recent loss against PBKS, but that will work as a confidence-booster for him to keep his team on top. Miller’s finish against CSK is one to be remembered and something similar will be expected from him when he is against the five-time champions.

All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan

The deadly bunch of all-rounders GT has in the kitty is something that every opposition must fear. Skipper Pandya has been in the MI setup for a very long time, before being appointed as the leader of GT. His experience of playing the MI bowlers will come in handy for the team, but he would want to be careful as his opposition knows how to read him well too.

The Tewatia-Rashid duo can wreak havoc on the field with their power-hitting abilities. Tewatia has been a proven finisher this year and has led the side to some epic last-over victories. Rashid has also been somewhat similar recently and has helped his team pull off a thriller with the bat. The duo will be crucial with the ball as well.

Bowlers: Alzarri Joseph, Pradeep Sangwan, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami

While Alzarri Joseph proved costly against RCB, he improved his line and lengths against PBKS. His improvement stands him another chance in the team as he can also be utilised as a handy batter in the lower order. Pradeep Sangwan was very impressive against RCB, scalping two wickets but was a bit pricey against PBKS and did not get complete his four-over spell.

Though Lockie Ferguson has not made a big impact in the recent games, he holds the ability to clock the ball over 150 kmph, which can prove to be a threat to the opposition batters. Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami needs no introduction. He has been in great form since the beginning of the league and has helped his team get an early breakthrough by striking in the powerplay. His spell against PBKS was not something the best, but the veteran is expected to bounce back stronger.

Predicted Playing XI: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Pradeep Sangwan, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami