In an eliminator match played in New Chandigarh, Mumbai, winning the toss, opted to bat first. Mumbai put up a stellar performance, scoring 228 runs for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs.
MI vs GT: An eliminator match of IPL 2025 was played on Friday at the magnificent New Chandigarh stadium, where Mumbai Indians, with a superb performance, defeated Gujarat Titans by 20 runs, eliminating them from the tournament. This victory secured Mumbai Indians' place in Qualifier 2, where they will face Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad on June 1st.
Mumbai's Explosive Start
Mumbai Indians, after winning the toss and electing to bat, started aggressively. The opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Jonny Bairstow immediately put pressure on the bowlers. They forged a quick 84-run partnership for the first wicket, with Bairstow scoring 47 runs off 22 balls. His innings included four fours and three towering sixes.
After Bairstow's dismissal, Suryakumar Yadav joined Rohit Sharma and provided excellent support. Together they added 59 runs off 34 balls. Suryakumar played a quick 33 off 20 balls, accelerating the innings.
Hitman's Blast
Former Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma showcased his experience and class in this match. He reached his half-century in just 28 balls and eventually scored 81 runs off 50 balls. His innings included nine fours and four sixes. He also achieved a new milestone, surpassing 300 sixes in IPL, becoming the first active Indian batsman to do so. He now has a total of 302 sixes to his name.
Middle Order's Crucial Contribution
Tilak Varma contributed a useful 25 runs off 11 balls to Mumbai's batting effort, while Naman Dheer scored 9 runs before being dismissed. Finally, captain Hardik Pandya scored an unbeaten 22 off just 9 balls, including three massive sixes, propelling the score to 228. Mitchell Santner remained unbeaten on 0.
For Gujarat, Prasidh Krishna and Sai Kishore took two wickets each, while Mohammed Siraj claimed one.
Gujarat's Early Setbacks
Chasing a challenging 229-run target, Gujarat Titans had a terrible start. Captain Shubman Gill was dismissed for just one run, bowled by Trent Boult. Then, Kusal Mendis, who looked in good touch, was unfortunately out hit wicket. He scored 20 runs, and together with Sai Sudarshan formed a 64-run partnership.
Sai Sudarshan was the most successful batsman for Gujarat, playing a brilliant 80 off 44 balls. He played several eye-catching shots and tried to accelerate the scoring rate. Washington Sundar also contributed a valuable 48-run innings. Together they put on a crucial 84-run partnership. However, Gujarat's batting faltered thereafter. Rutherford scored 24, Shahrukh Khan 13, and Rahul Tewatia 16 runs. Rashid Khan and Tewatia failed to accelerate the run rate in the final overs. Rashid remained unbeaten on 0.
Mumbai Indians' bowlers didn't disappoint their captain. Trent Boult made a lethal start with the new ball, taking two crucial wickets. Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell Santner, Richard Gleeson, and young Ashwini Kumar each took a wicket. Bumrah bowled excellent yorkers in the death overs, dashing Gujarat's hopes.
