Hardik Pandya turns smiling assassin after getting rid of Shubman Gill against ex-franchise Gujarat Titans

Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya made an instant impact in his first match of the season as he got the better of his counterpart Shubman Gill at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The star all-rounder missed the first match against Chennai Super Kings due to a one-match ban imposed on him due to his team's slow over-rate during IPL 2025's last league stage match.

Hardik returned to action against Gujarat Titans on Saturday to lead five-time champions and he won the toss and elected to bowl first. The skipper led from the front and broke the crucial partnership between Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan by getting rid of the counterpart from the Titans.

The 31-year-old pitched it short, and Gill pulled it over deep square leg but found Naman Dhir. He scored 38 runs off 27 balls to give his team a solid start. After claiming the big wicket, Hardik stood and stared at Gill with a smile on his face.

It was the fourth time when Hardik got rid of Gill in the five occasions when the two went against each other. The Mumbai skipper has bowled 18 deliveries to Gill in the IPL, in which the Titans skipper only managed to score just 11 runs.

In his absence, Mumbai lost their first match of the season against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings to extend their unwanted streak of losses in the first match of IPL over the years.

Hardik Pandya opts to bowl first vs GT

Meanwhile, Hardik elected to bowl first in Ahmedabad, considering the dew factor.

“We will bowl first. The simple reason is that we do not know how the pitch will play, plus the dew factor. Only last year we played on black soil, otherwise we have been playing on red soil,” he said at the toss.

Ian Bishop also asked Hardik about the mental space he has been in after a tough last season where he faced the heat from the fans.

“It's fantastic. The preparation has been fantastic. All the boys are raring to go. The goal is to be very clear; we want to do well as a group, back each other, and be there for each other as much as possible. Whenever someone's down, we are going to lift them up. It has been very clear, and we are in a happy state,” Hardik said at the toss in response to Bishop's query.