Rohit Sharma was named the player of the match for his batting performance in the first innings. The veteran batter was pretty lucky at the start of his innings and was dropped twice. He made the GT bowlers and fielders pay for their mistakes and registered a great score. He made 81 runs in only 50 balls, hitting nine fours and four sixes.
Rohit Sharma, after being dropped twice early in the innings, made the GT bowlers and the fielders pay. The former MI skipper scored his 47th fifty, reaching the milestone in only 28 balls. After getting his eye in, there was no stopping Rohit as he smashed the bowlers all around the Maharaja Yadavindra Stadium. The right-handed batter took on the aggressive approach once Bairstow was dismsised, which allowed Suryakumar Yadav to settle down. Rohit continued to play with positive intent even after Suryakumar’s wicket. The veteran batter did not let the GT bowlers settle with their lines and lengths and consistently smashed boundaries. He ended up scoring 81 runs off 50 balls, hitting nine fours and four sixes.
Jonny Bairstow, coming as a replacement for Ryan Rickelton, made a huge impact in his first game in a do-or-die match for MI. The English batter did not show any signs of rustiness and got going in a flash. He demolished the two Indian pacers of the Titans, including Prasidh Krishna, who has been one of the best bowlers of the season. Bairstow ended up with a score of 47 runs in 22 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes.
There were three bowlers who picked up more wickets than Jasprit Bumrah; however, no one could create the same impact as he did with the ball in hand. Even though the five-time champions were defending a huge score of 228 runs, it needed a Bumrah-special for them to close out the clash. He bowled the second over in the absence of Deepak Chahar and gave away only four runs in his first over. He was hit for a couple of fours in his second over but still managed to remain economical. It was his third over that completely changed the game as he broke the 84-run stand between Sundar and Sudharsan. He bowled a perfect yorker to dismiss Sundar and turned the game back in his team’s favour. GT needed 45 runs in three overs when he came on to bowl his last over. The right-arm pacer, in spite of being hit for a six, gave away only nine runs in six balls.
Sai Sudharsan played a fantastic knock when the Gujarat Titans needed it the most. He currently leads the race for the Orange Cap and showcased why he is one of the best batters this season. The left-handed batter was under extreme pressure in a mammoth chase when Shubman Gill was dismissed in the first over. He played with great gusto and shared crucial stands with Kusal Mendis and Washington Sundar. However, both batters were dismissed in crucial stages. The 23-year-old was dismissed while attempting to play a scoop shot. He scored 80 runs in 49 balls, hitting 10 fours and a solitary six.
It was a great start for the Mumbai Indians as the new opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Jonny Bairstow provided a flying start to the five-time champions. The former MI skipper was a bit lucky in the initial stages of his knock and was dropped twice. Bairstow, on the other hand, announced his arrival in great style as he got going in the power play. The English batter made full use of the restrictions in the first six overs. It took a great catch to end his knock, in which he scored 47 runs in only 22 balls.
Rohit Sharma, after being dropped twice, made the Gujarat Titans pay for their couple of dropped catches. The right-handed batter scored his 47th half-century in the tournament and reached a couple of milestones as well. He struck his 300th six and became only the second batter after Virat Kohli to score 7,000 runs in the IPL.
Suryakumar Yadav came to the crease and started a bit slowly, taking his time to settle. However, once he got his eye in, the right-handed batter scored his 15th score of more than 25 runs. He scored 33 runs and smashed three sixes in his 20-ball knock before he was dismissed by Sai Kishore.
Tilak Varma, after having a quiet time in the last few games, played a fiery cameo. The left-handed batter scored 25 runs in only 11 balls as he smashed three sixes. He was dismissed by Prasidh Krishna. The tall pacer, after starting his spell on an expensive note, picked up a couple of wickets to overtake Noor Ahmad on the purple cap list. Hardik Pandya ended the first innings with three sixes in the last over to get MI past the 220-run mark.
The GT opening pair could not provide the required start as Shubman Gill was dismissed in the first over of the innings by Trent Boult. However, Sai Sudharsan and Kusal Mendis resurrected the innings. While Mendis smashed a couple of sixes and a four, Sudharsan looked unstoppable in the first six overs.
The 23-year-old went past 700 runs in IPL 2025 and was standing tall in the chase. He scored a 28-ball fifty and accessed different parts of the ground. Unlike the last two games, where he was dismissed cheaply, Sudharsan played a solid knock. He shared crucial stands with Kusal Mendis and Washington Sundar. However, both batters were dismissed at crucial junctures in the game, which increased the pressure on Sudharsan.
Washington Sundar, coming into the game in place of Arshad Khan, played a highly impactful role with the bat in hand. The left-handed batter smashed the ball in different parts of the ground and played the aggressor role in his partnership with Sudharsan to perfection. It took a perfect yorker from Jasprit Bumrah to dismiss the all-rounder.
Yesterday the eliminator match between the Mumbai Indians and the Gujarat Titans was nothing short of a thriller. Mumbai Indians won the toss and opted to bat first. The opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Jonny Bairstow did an exceptional job as they put on a stand of 84 for the first wicket in just 7.2 overs. Especially the England opener Jonny Bairstow came as a replacement for Ryan Rickleton played a magnificent innings of 47 in just 22 balls and Rohit came back in form and scored a brilliant 81 in just 50 balls giving a brilliant start to MI. At the end MI scored a huge total of 228. And in reply GT opener, Sai Sudharsan continued his good form and played a good hand of 80 alongside Washington Sundar. But the target of 229 looked too much as GT fell short by 20 runs.
Curvy Super Striker: Tilak Varma (MI)- SR: 227.
Fantasy King of the Match: Rohit Sharma (MI)
Most Fours: Sai Sudharsan (GT)- 10 Fours
Most Sixes: Rohit Sharma (MI)- 4 Sixes
Most Dot Balls: Jasprit Bumrah (MI)- 11 dot balls
Player of the Match: Rohit Sharma (MI)
The first key moment of the match happened when the opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Jonny Bairstow started the innings superbly for MI with a terrific stand of 84 in no time. This blistering start allowed the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma to settle down, and start hitting at the back end of the innings. In this match, Rohit Sharma completed his 7000 runs in the IPL.
The second key moment of the match happened when the GT spinner Sai Kishore took the crucial wicket of Suryakumar Yadav in the last ball of the 12th over. This wicket was extremely crucial as SKY was set and he could have been dangerous at the end.
The third key moment of the match happened when the MI skipper Hardik Pandya stayed till the end and played a destructive knock of 22 not out in just 9 balls hitting three magnificent sixes. Those crucial hits of Pandya were necessary for MI to post a total beyond 220 runs.
The fourth key moment of the match happened when the MI opening bowler Trent Boult took the crucial wicket of the GT captain Shubman Gill in the very first over by a cracking late inswinger. This early wicket of Shubman Gill was very crucial as we have often seen in this season the opening pair of GT can give good starts and take the game away from the opposition.
The final key moment of the match happened when the England pacer Richard Gleeson knocked over the set batter Sai Sudharsan for 80 runs in the 15th over. As Sudharshan was the set batter for GT, he could have taken the match deep with Rutherford and won it for GT.
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