In a significant change to their playing eleven, Gujarat Titans (GT) have brought in South African pace sensation Gerald Coetzee for the IPL 2025 encounter against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The alteration was confirmed by GT captain Shubman Gill at the toss.

Sunrisers Hyderabad wins the toss, opts to bowl

SRH captain Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bowl first on a pitch that Gill also assessed as potentially favouring the team bowling first. Gill stated, “We would have bowled first as well. Looks like a good wicket. Last game here we played against Mumbai, we batted first as well. The season has been pretty good for us. Nothing changes us for us. This is the time when good team peaks. We are not really looking at the NRR. We are looking to see each game as it is.”

Shubman Gill confirms Gerald Coetzee’s inclusion in Gujarat Titans’ playing XI

Confirming the solitary change for the Gujarat Titans, Gill announced, “We have one change. Gerald Coetzee comes in for Karim Janat.” This substitution sees the express pace of Gerald Coetzee replacing the Afghan all-rounder Karim Janat in the starting lineup. Janat had recently made his IPL debut for the Titans.

Cummins, leading the Sunrisers, explained his decision to bowl first, saying, “We will have a bowl. You never really know what you will get. Sometimes it is better to bat at night.” He acknowledged his team’s position, noting, “If we win all our games, we still have a chance. We haven’t quite clicked as a team. Last couple of games, we have done better.” SRH opted to go into the match with the same playing eleven from their previous fixture.

The inclusion of Coetzee adds significant firepower to GT’s bowling attack. Known for his ability to consistently hit high speeds and trouble batters with bounce, Coetzee will join the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna in the pace department. His performance will be key on the Ahmedabad surface, which has historically offered something for the fast bowlers but can also be a batting paradise.

Janat’s exclusion, after featuring in the previous game, suggests the team management’s tactical flexibility based on pitch conditions and opposition.

Also READ: IPL 2025 – Players who have represented both Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL T20

GT vs SRH: Here are the confirmed playing XIs and impact subs of both teams

Gujarat Titans: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Gerald Coetzee, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Aniket Verma, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Mohammed Shami.

Both teams have also named their Impact Substitute options, providing strategic flexibility later in the game.

Gujarat Titans Impact Subs: Ishant Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Anuj Rawat, Arshad Khan, Sherfane Rutherford.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Impact Subs: Abhinav Manohar, Sachin Baby, Travis Head, Rahul Chahar, Wiaan Mulder.

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