Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill share awkward moment during GT vs MI IPL Eliminator; Kieron Pollard then shows how it's done

Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill found themselves in an awkward moment during the toss ahead of the IPL 2025 Eliminator between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans. As Hardik won the toss and turned towards Ravi Shastri for the post-toss interaction, it momentarily looked like he was about to extend a hand towards Gill. Simultaneously, Gill appeared to respond, but both captains hesitated and pulled back, resulting in a visibly clumsy exchange that was quickly picked up by cameras. Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya share an awkward moment during the toss(X)

What followed was an odd silence between the two, as Hardik proceeded directly to Shastri without the customary handshake.

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Interestingly, Kieron Pollard, MI's batting coach, walked up to Hardik Pandya right after the toss and firmly shook hands with the skipper, almost as if showing how it's done.

Hardik opted to bat in Mullanpur as both sides aim to stay alive in the tournament. While the loser will be eliminated, the winner takes on Punjab Kings, who lost the Qualifier 1 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday.

Heading into the IPL 2025 Eliminator, both Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans were grappling with pressure and form issues. Mumbai, the five-time champions, had their own share of concerns, particularly in batting, with foreign players like Ryan Rickelton and Will Jacks unavailable due to national duty.

That left Rohit Sharma and potentially Jonny Bairstow to open, while the team continued to rely heavily on the in-form Suryakumar Yadav, who has piled up over 600 runs this season.

On the other side, Gujarat Titans, once considered strong title contenders, limped into the play-offs after back-to-back heavy defeats, where their bowlers leaked 465 runs across two games. Their bowling unit, already under pressure, looked further depleted with Rashid Khan out of rhythm and the pace attack failing to click collectively. Captain Shubman Gill, without Jos Buttler at the top, was left to marshal a shaky middle order.

A win will see them facing Punjab Kings, who might be low on morale after an 8-wicket thumping against RCB, but remain a tough opponent, having finished at the top of the IPL 2025 table.

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