Former India cricketers Ravi Shastri, Harbhajan Singh, and S Sreesanth shared their views on the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Gujarat Titans (GT) on Star Sports' Cricket Live. The match is set to be emotional for GT skipper Hardik Pandya, who achieved stardom playing at Wankhede but will now face his former team on their home ground. Shastri believes Pandya will play a crucial role in leading his team to victory and proving himself against his former team. However, defeating MI at their home ground will not be easy for GT.
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Speaking on Star Sports' Cricket Live, Ravi Shastri said, "Hardik's homecoming will be emotional. He will play a crucial match against the team at the ground where he rose to stardom. Hardik would like to prove a lot by leading his team to victory. This match will be really interesting as it will not be easy for GT to beat MI at their home and then MI would like to equalize the defeat in Ahmedabad and take a strong step towards the playoffs."
Harbhajan Singh cautioned MI to bring their A-Game in the match as GT has a strong and balanced bowling lineup, which includes Rashid, Shami, and other quality bowlers. Speaking on Star Sports' Cricket Live, Harbhajan Singh said, "MI will have to bring their A-Game against GT because the latter's bowling lineup is very strong. GT has Rashid, Shami, and other quality bowlers. Mumbai's bowling attack, on the other hand, is weaker and they are leaking 200-plus runs. Yes, MI has chased down three consecutive 200-plus totals, but the law of averages might catch up. Also, the toss is going to be very crucial in that game, if MI loses the toss, it will be tough."
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S Sreesanth said, "This match between MI and GT will be very exciting. MI is playing at Wankhede. They will enter this match on the back of a big win. Hardik, on the other hand, is captaining GT brilliantly. Also, the team management of GT puts the team on the field with very good preparation. This team lives in a family ecosystem and it is easy to win in this situation. Most of the teams are still within reach of the playoffs spot, making this edition one of the most closely fought contests in the 15 years of the tournament. It will be a high-profile battle between five-time champions and defending champions. Fans are also getting to witness the rivalry between teams from different regions of the country, thus adding up to some more spice.
The IPL 2023 edition has been one of the most closely fought contests in the 15 years of the tournament, with most teams still within reach of the playoff spot. The high-profile battle between five-time champions MI and defending champions GT adds to the excitement, and fans will witness the rivalry between teams from different regions of the country.
