Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians are facing each other in the Eliminator of the IPL 2025, where the winners will qualify for Qualifier 2, where they will face Qualifier 1 losers Punjab Kings in the battle for the Final. While Mullanpur is hosting the Eliminator match, just like the Qualifier 1 fixture last night, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya chose to bat first after winning the toss. 

IPL 2025: MI's last three wins were all successful defending results

The five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians made a dramatic comeback in the IPL 2025, as they finished in the fourth position in the points table to qualify for the Playoffs, starting from the Eliminator. MI recorded eight wins in the league stage of the season, and their last three wins were comfortable defending results, all wins by more than 50 runs. 

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IPL 2025, Eliminator, GT vs MI: Did MI take right decision to bat first

It is not the same pitch where Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings faced each other last night in Qualifier 1. RCB clearly dominated in that match, where PBKS were bundled out for only 101 runs, and RCB chased down the target in 10 overs after losing only two wickets. Punjab batters completely struggled in the first innings, while RCB batters flew high on that low chase. So, MI's decision to bat first can be questioned, but the story isn't the same anyway.

Although the venue is the same, Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh, the pitches are different. The Qualifier 1 pitch, which was played between PBKS and RCB, had a lot of grass. Apart from the RCB pacers, especially Josh Hazlewood, RCB leg-spinner Suyash Sharma also got help from that pitch.

The Eliminator pitch has less grass and seemed drier than the Qualifier 1 pitch. This pitch has been expected to be much slower. Understanding the Eliminator pitch in the initial moment, MI's decision can't be questioned much, especially when the dew factor isn't a big concern.