IPL 2025: All not well between Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya?

A moment during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Eliminator between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Mumbai Indians (MI) has triggered speculation about tension between India's cricket stars — Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya. The incident took place during the toss, when cameras caught Gill seemingly ignoring a handshake from Hardik after MI opted to bat first. Following this, Pandya's aggressive celebration after dismissing Gill for just 1 run in the first over added fuel to the fire.

Although another video later showed the two exchanging brief congratulations, the initial clip was enough to get fans talking — with many questioning whether all is well between the former GT teammates. The video has since gone viral across various social media platforms, including X (formerly known as Twitter) and Reddit.

🚨 Toss 🚨@mipaltan won the toss and elected to bat first against @gujarat_titans

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/R4RTzjQfph #TATAIPL | #GTvMI | #Eliminator | #TheLastMile pic.twitter.com/E3G3NU0FXK

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 30, 2025

Old allies, new equations

Gill and Pandya were key pillars in Gujarat Titans' inaugural title-winning campaign in 2022. Hardik was the captain and Gill, then an emerging star, played a crucial role. The following season, Gill enjoyed a record-breaking run, scoring 890 runs under Hardik's leadership. However, things changed in 2024 when Hardik made a switch and returned to MI. This paved the way for Gill to take over the captaincy at GT.

While both players have remained professional in public, this encounter hinted that there may be an underlying friction, with fans debating whether this was simply Playoff pressure or a deeper fallout. 

What happened in the GT vs MI Eliminator?

The match saw MI outplay GT by 20 runs at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh. Rohit Sharma's explosive 81 off 50 and a finishing cameo from Hardik (22* off 9), helped MI post 228/5 — the second-highest total in IPL playoff history. 

𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 ✌️@mipaltan have their eyes set on the big prize 👀🏆

Watch the Match Highlights ▶ https://t.co/XZ1j1xE8YP#TATAIPL | #GTvMI | #Eliminator | #TheLastMile pic.twitter.com/e95uQLxd5l

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 30, 2025

GT's chase faltered early with Gill's dismissal and questions arising with no Jos Buttler in the side. However, Sai Sudharsan fought back with a brilliant 80 off 49. Kusal Mendis and Washington Sundar also contributed, but Jasprit Bumrah's tight spell (1/27 in 4 overs) and Ashwani Kumar's tidy finish (1/28 in 3.3) helped MI progress to the Qualifier 2. 

With this win, Mumbai Indians will face Punjab Kings (PBKS) for a spot in the IPL 2025 final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).