Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians timeline: Why is debutant Kusal Mendis keeping wicket for GT instead of Jos Buttler?

MI vs GT IPL 2025 Eliminator LIVE: Gujarat Titans dropped Mumbai Indians opener Rohit Sharma twice in the batting powerplay after Hardik Pandya elected to bat first in the IPL 2025 Eliminator on Friday. After a sprinting Gerald Coetzee failed to hold onto a mishit by the 'Hitman' in the second over bowled by Prasidh Krishna, wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis dropped a comparatively easier chance in the following over off Mohammed Siraj. While Coetzee had considerable ground to cover from his position at deep backward square leg, Mendis had only himself to blame, as his drop was purely a result of lost concentration.

 

Interestingly, Sri Lankan Mendis was playing his debut IPL match in Mullanpur as Gujarat Titans are without their first-choice wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, who returned to England for national duties. The experienced batter had amassed 500 runs at an average of 71.42 for GT in the league stage, ahead of leaving India for England's white-ball series against the West Indies.

Whois Kusal Mendis -- Buttler's replacement?

Kusal Mendis, 30, was brought in as his replacement for ₹75 lakh while he was playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for the Quetta Gladiators. Although he is new to the IPL, Mendis is a veteran of the T20 game, having played 78 international games. He has amassed 1,920 runs in the format for Sri Lanka, including 15 half-centuries at an average of 25.60. He has 32 catches and 13 stumpings for the Islanders so far in T20Is, data show. Apart from the PSL, the Moratuwa native has also played in the SA20 for the Pretoria Capitals and the Lanka Premier League for four different teams.

 

Washington Sundar and Kusal Mendis were the changes in the Shubman Gill-led team's lineup for the knockout game while MI  included Jonny Bairstow, Richard Gleeson and Raj Angad Bawa in their final eleven.

 

 

Teams: Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Kusal Mendis (w), Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Gerald Coetzee, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

 

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Raj Bawa, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Richard Gleeson.

 

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