Lucknow, April 4 (NationPress) Rohit Sharma is absent for the five-time champions Mumbai Indians as captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl first against Lucknow Super Giants, who have brought in Akash Deep, during match 16 of IPL 2025 at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Both sides are situated in the lower tier of the points table, and a victory for either team would enable them to join the four-point group. Following the toss, Pandya revealed that Rohit sustained a knee injury during practice and is therefore unavailable for today’s match.

In Rohit’s stead, fast-bowling all-rounder Raj Angad Bawa is set to make his debut for MI. Bawa gained recognition after taking five wickets against England, leading India to victory in the 2022 U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup final.

Bawa, who represents Chandigarh in domestic cricket, is the grandson of Trilochan Singh, who earned a gold medal for the Indian hockey team in the 1948 London Olympics. His father, Sukhwinder Bawa, is a prominent cricket coach in Chandigarh, who provided Raj with his initial cricket training.

“The pitch appears fresh. I’m uncertain about its behavior. It seems decent. Dew might influence later stages. I thought it would be better to chase. We have discussed as a group that we prefer not to comment on the wickets,” stated Pandya.

“Our focus is on playing quality cricket. That’s our main discussion. We’re not here to analyze the surfaces. Adaptation, sticking to the right strategies, and being clever are key. A lot of runs are being scored. Jasprit Bumrah should return soon,” he added.

LSG captain Rishabh Pant mentioned that Akash has recovered from the back injury he sustained during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series and replaces left-arm spinner M Siddharth. “I believe we are quite confident as a batting unit. We are a robust team, but several players, including myself, haven’t performed yet,” he remarked.

“We have discussed playing in a specific manner throughout the tournament. The general idea is to go out there and express ourselves. We haven’t set a target to achieve. Just play the ball, watch it, and react. I am confident that once we get a start, we will capitalize,” he said.

Today’s match will take place on pitch number six, composed of black soil. The square boundaries measure 66m and 73m, with a relatively long straight boundary at 78m.

Playing XIs:

Lucknow Super Giants: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (captain & wk), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Akash Deep, and Avesh Khan

Impact Substitutes: Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Shahbaz Ahmed, M Siddharth, Akash Singh.

Mumbai Indians: Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (captain), Naman Dhir, Raj Bawa, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Deepak Chahar, and Vignesh Puthur

Impact Substitutes: Tilak Varma, Corbin Bosch, Robin Minz, Satyanarayana Raju, Karn Sharma