NEW DELHI: The toss proceedings at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 continue to produce lighthearted moments, with former India cricketer and coach Ravi Shastri‘s slip of tongue during the Gujarat Titans vs Punjab Kings match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad becoming the latest talking point.
Shastri, the toss presenter, mistakenly asked Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer to spin the coin instead of Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill, despite the match being held at GT’s home ground. The unexpected request left Iyer visibly puzzled as he questioned, “I will spin the coin?” before Shastri quickly corrected himself and handed over the responsibility to Gill.
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With the confusion cleared, Gill spun the coin, and Iyer called “tails.” However, the toss landed in GT’s favour with “heads,” and the home captain chose to field first.
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After winning the toss, Gill explained his decision, citing the influence of dew in Ahmedabad. “We will bowl first. It is a good cricketing wicket. There is some dew here, and big targets can be chased down. Preparation has been amazing, and we have our bases covered with a solid bowling attack,” Gill said.
Iyer, on the other hand, admitted that he would have opted to bowl first as well but remained optimistic about batting first. “I love a chase, but we are up for the challenge. We have so many familiar faces around, including Ricky (Ponting). Our team is well-balanced with all-rounders, and we are spoiled for choices,” Iyer remarked.
The moment added to the entertaining nature of the IPL, which had already witnessed a humorous toss exchange between Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel the previous night.
GT vs PBKS Playing XIs:
- Gujarat Titans XI: Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, R Sai Kishore, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
- Punjab Kings XI: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Suryansh Shedge, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India, including match schedules, team squads, and IPL live scores for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Find out how to watch IPL 2025 in Canada and the USA.
