There are only a few hours left. The second qualifier match of this season of IPL is going to be held between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians today. The team that wins this match will play the final match of 16th IPL with Chennai. Earlier, former Indian cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar said that this match will see a battle between Titans bowler Rashid Khan and Mumbai batsman Suryakumar Yadav. Everyone will be eager to see their fight.
Both these teams are going to face each other at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad. Mumbai Indians defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 81 runs in the previous match and are on a high. On the other hand, despite playing well in the group stage, the defending champions lost their first qualifier match against Chennai Super Kings. Before the match between these two strong teams, Sanjay Manjrekar said that the fate of both the teams will not be decided by the fight between best T20 batsman Suryakumar Yadav and best bowler Rashid Khan. But this match will be worth watching. Talking to ESPN Cricinfo, he said, ‘The best T20 bowler Rashid Khan is in a team in this match. On the other hand, the best T20 batsman Suryakumar Yadav is in the opposing team. I am not saying that these two cricketers will decide the fate of the match. This match will be very tough. But in T20 it is rare to see the best bowler and the best batsman competing against each other.
The former cricketer feels that both these teams have players with the ability to single-handedly win matches. The performance of any one of these can change the complexion of the match. Regarding this, he said, ‘The pitch of this match is going to be good for both the teams Mumbai and Gujarat Titans. Gujarat will get home advantage. Aggressive batsmen are going to make a big impact in this match. The spinners of both these teams do not need turning pitches. Noor Ahmed and Rashid Khan can trouble the batsmen even on good pitches.
Both the teams have registered a win against each other at their home ground in the group league. Gujarat won the first game by 55 runs. In the return match, Mumbai Indians won the match by 27 runs. Gujarat lost only 4 out of 14 matches in the group stage. Mumbai is one of the teams to beat him. However, the situation is different in the second qualifier match. Who will have the last laugh? It will be understood after the match.
