Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya made an immediate impression in his season debut by outshining his rival Shubman Gill at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The prominent all-rounder was absent from the opening match against Chennai Super Kings due to a one-match suspension resulting from his team's slow over-rate in the final league stage match of IPL 2025.

Hardik returned to the field on Saturday to lead the five-time champions against the Gujarat Titans, winning the toss and opting to bowl first. He took charge by breaking a vital partnership between Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, dismissing Gill, the Titans' captain.

The 31-year-old bowled a short delivery, which Gill attempted to pull over deep square leg but ended up finding Naman Dhir instead. Gill contributed 38 runs off 27 balls, providing his team with a strong start. Following the dismissal, Hardik stood with a smile, gazing at Gill.

Hardik has successfully dismissed Gill for the fourth time in their five encounters. The Mumbai captain has bowled a total of 18 deliveries to Gill in the IPL, during which the Titans' captain has only managed to score 11 runs.

In Hardik's absence, Mumbai suffered a defeat in their opening match of the season against their long-time rivals, the Chennai Super Kings, thereby continuing their unfortunate trend of losing the first match of the IPL in recent years.

During the match in Ahmedabad, Hardik chose to bowl first, taking into account the impact of dew.

"We will bowl first. The primary reason is our uncertainty about how the pitch will behave, along with the dew factor. Last year, we played on black soil, but previously, we have been accustomed to red soil," he explained at the toss.

Ian Bishop inquired about Hardik's mental state following a challenging previous season, during which he faced criticism from fans.

"It's fantastic. The preparation has been excellent. All the players are eager to perform. Our objective is clear: We aim to succeed as a team, support one another, and be there for each other as much as possible. Whenever someone is feeling down, we will uplift them. This has been our focus, and we are in a positive mindset," Hardik responded to Bishop's question at the toss.

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