A light-hearted exchange between Hardik Pandya and his former coach Ashish Nehra caught the attention of fans during the strategic time-out in Match 9 of IPL 2025 between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
With GT off to a flying start—66/0 in the powerplay, their best of the season—Pandya looked under pressure as Gujarat’s top order settled in. Cameras captured Nehra, now GT’s head coach, casually walking up to Pandya during the break and appearing to give him advice. The brief banter-like moment quickly sparked conversation on social media, given their history of working together at GT when Hardik was captain.
Interestingly, this match marked the first wicketless powerplay of IPL 2025’s first innings—a major milestone in itself. Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan set the tone early on before Gill was dismissed for 38 off 27 balls, caught by Naman Dhir off Pandya’s bowling in the 9th over, bringing MI a much-needed breakthrough.
As per the latest update (9.2 overs), Gujarat are 80/1, with Sai Sudharsan unbeaten on 37 off 24 balls and Jos Buttler new at the crease with 2 off 5 balls.
Mumbai had earlier won the toss and opted to field first, with Pandya returning to the XI after a one-match ban. MI left out young spinner Vignesh Puthur, despite his strong performance in the previous game.
With the home crowd roaring and the match heating up, Pandya will be hoping that the wicket of his former teammate Gill sparks a turnaround—and perhaps that Nehra’s mid-match ‘banter’ gives him a little extra motivation.
