IPL 2025: MI wins toss, opt to bowl against SRH; both captains condemn Pahalgam terror attack

HYDERABAD: Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bowl first against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday. The match is being held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Heading into the clash, Mumbai Indians are placed sixth on the points table with eight points from eight matches, having secured four wins and an equal number of losses. In contrast, Sunrisers Hyderabad find themselves at the ninth spot with just four points, managing only two victories in their seven games so far.

Both captains took a moment to express their condolences to the victims of the tragic terror attack in Pahalgam that occurred on Tuesday.

Let’s all stand for peace and humanity.

A minute’s silence was observed in Hyderabad to pay respect to the victims of Pahalgam terror attack.

All the players, support staff, commentators & match officials are wearing black armbands for tonight’s game. #TATAIPL | #SRHvMI pic.twitter.com/PIVOrIyexY

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 23, 2025

Addressing the incident, MI captain Hardik Pandya said, “Feels good (on the applause). I would like to first pass my condolences to the victims of the terrorist attack. We, as a team and a franchise, condemn any such attacks.”

On the game, he added, “We’ll bowl first tonight. Looks like a good track. Just one change for us — Vignesh comes in for Ashwani. We need to just execute our plans and take the game as simply as possible, plan properly.”

Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins also expressed sorrow over the attack, stating, “It has been heartbreaking for us as well, our thoughts are with the victims and their families”.

Talking about the game, Cummins said, “One change for us — Jaydev comes in, Shami goes out to the impact player list. It is a cause for optimism, we know this surface and ground really well. We’ve played some really good cricket this year.”

As the teams square off in a crucial mid-season encounter, both sides will be eager to grab the two points on offer and improve their standings in the tournament.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins(c), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga

Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Ryan Rickelton(w), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Vignesh Puthur. (ANI)