IPL 2025: Who is Jonny Bairstow replacing in GT vs MI eliminator?

Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans are locking horns in the ongoing Eliminator clash of the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025). The game is being played at the Maharaja Yadvendra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Indians have made some big changes in their playing XI for this knockout clash.

Mumbai Indians have made three new changes in their final XI, picking wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow, pacer Richard Gleeson, and all-rounder Raj Angad Bawa. Among these three, the major highlight in these changes is the entry of Bairstow in the lineup.

Jonny Bairstow replaces Ryan Rickelton

The veteran England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow is replacing the star wicketkeeper-batter Ryan Rickelton. Bairstow has replaced the Proteas star in the capacity of both opener and wicketkeeper. He was recently in action for his domestic side, Yorkshire, in the County Division One Championship.

Speaking of the current action of the game, the Mumbai Indians are batting first after winning the toss, with Rohit Sharma and Jonny Bairstow starting the innings for the five-time champions. At the time of filling this, Mumbai have scored 10 runs for no loss in 1.1 overs, with Rohit and Bairstow at the individual scores of 7 and 3 runs, respectively.

Here’s a look at the MI’s playing XI for the Eliminator:

Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow (WK), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Naman Dhir, Hardik Pandya (C), Raj Angad Bawa, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, and Richard Gleeson.

MI finished their league stage in the fourth spot on the tournament standings, with eight wins and six defeats in their 14 games, earning 16 points.

Notably, it is a must-win and a do-or-die clash for both the Mumbai Indians and the Gujarat Titans, as the losing side will be eliminated from the tournament. The winning team will face the Punjab Kings in the second qualifier on Sunday, June 1, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.