If there was ever a venue you wouldn’t want to carry a struggling bowling attack into, it’s Ahmedabad right now. Mumbai Indians (MI) arrive here with the worst IPL 2026 numbers and the conditions aren’t about to bail them out. Gujarat Titans (GT), meanwhile, know exactly how to play on this surface and their unbeaten record at home against MI just gives them huge confidence.
GT vs MI Pitch Report: Big scores, batting first still the safer play
The Narendra Modi Stadium has turned into the most batting-friendly venue in the IPL over the last couple of seasons. Since 2025, the average first innings score here stands at 212, the highest among all venues with multiple games.
Pitch No. 5, which is expected to be used, has shown a clear pattern. Teams batting first have had the upper hand, winning eight of the last 11 matches. The average winning total in those games is 218, which again reinforces one thing. If you bat first here, you don’t aim for 180. You aim well beyond 200.
Even in the last seven matches across formats at this venue, the first innings run rate (9.62) has been higher than the second innings (9.14). It’s not a drastic difference, but enough to show that chasing here isn’t always easy, especially with the scoreboard pressure.
Ahmedabad: Pace vs Spin in IPL 2025
| Type | Matches | Balls | Runs | Wickets | Best | Average | Economy | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pace | 10 | 1705 | 2895 | 85 | 4/41 | 34.05 | 10.18 | 20.0 |
| Spin | 10 | 672 | 1084 | 38 | 4/41 | 28.52 | 9.67 | 17.6 |
The only variable could be the heat. With temperatures expected to touch 40 degrees, fatigue becomes a factor, especially for bowlers in the second innings. There is also a slight chance of dew later in the evening, which might tempt captains to think about chasing, even though the numbers favour batting first.
Mumbai Indians’ poor bowling under scanner
Things have gone worst for the Mumbai Indians (MI) at IPL 2026 so far. Despite being quite strong on paper, their pieces have fallen everywhere.
They currently have the worst bowling average (56.94) and the worst economy rate (11.29) in IPL 2026. In five matches, they’ve conceded 968 runs in just 85.4 overs while picking up only 17 wickets. GT batters will be licking their lips to face this kind of an attack on a high-scoring Ahmedabad surface.
Against a Gujarat Titans batting unit that is already in form and comfortable at this venue, MI’s margin for error is minimal. Even a slightly off-length here tends to disappear, especially with the ball coming on nicely under lights. Jasprit Bumrah’s form is the biggest issue as well. Meanwhile, GT have picked up 36 wickets in five matches at an average of 25.38, almost half of MI’s.
Cricket
BCCI can opt for this option to make Shreyas Iyer the new T20I captain for India
