NEW DELHI: During the IPL 2025 match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, captains of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians, Pat Cummins and Hardik Pandya, expressed their heartfelt solidarity with the families impacted by the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
After winning the toss and opting to field first, Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya said: “Feels good (on the applause). I would like to firstly pass my condolences to the victims of the terrorist attack. We as a team and a franchise condemn any such attacks.”
Commenting on his playing XI and strategy, he added: “We’ll bowl first tonight. Looks like a good track, just one change for us – Vignesh comes in for Ashwani. We need to just execute our plans and take the game as simply as possible, plan properly.”
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins confirmed a change in his lineup as well, stating: “One change for us – Jaydev comes in, Shami goes out to the impact player list. (On playing on this surface) It is a cause for optimism, we know this surface and ground really well. We’ve played some really good cricket this year.”
Addressing the Pahalgam tragedy, Cummins said: “(On the Pahalgam terror attack) It has been heartbreaking for us as well, our thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
Ahead of the first ball, a 60-second silence was observed in the stadium, following a formal announcement over the public address system. This moment allowed thousands of spectators to unite in acknowledging the victims and standing in shared grief with the bereaved families.
As a visible mark of respect, all players, match officials, and even the on-air commentators donned black armbands throughout the game, symbolising mourning and solidarity with those affected by the tragedy.
In a further sign of respect, traditional in-game entertainment was suspended. There were no cheerleader performances or celebratory fireworks during or after the match.
PLAYING XIs:
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins(c), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Ryan Rickelton(w), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Vignesh Puthur
Here are the Impact substitutes for both the teams:
Sunrisers Hyderabad Impact Subs: Abhinav Manohar, Sachin Baby, Rahul Chahar, Wiaan Mulder, Mohammed Shami
Mumbai Indians Impact Subs: Rohit Sharma, Corbin Bosch, Raj Bawa, Satyanarayana Raju, Robin Minz
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