Both sides are heading into the match after losses in their campaign openers. While MI lost to arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their campaign opener, GT, led by Shubman Gill, sustained a loss to Shreyas Iyer-led new-look Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a high-scoring match at Ahmedabad. This match also marks the return of Hardik, who did not play in the first match owing to slow over-rate penalties in the previous season.