Images from the IPL 2025 Eliminator match between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans in Mullanpur, Chandigarh, on Friday.
Five-time champions Mumbai Indians outlasted Gujarat Titans by 20 runs in a high-scoring IPL Eliminator despite a classy effort from Sai Sudharsan in Mullanpur, Chandigarh, on Friday.
Rohit Sharma (81 off 50) rode his luck to play a fine knock after Jonny Bairstow (47 off 22) made instant impact on his MI debut to push them to an imposing 228/5 in their 20 overs.
Titans, who were sloppy in the field and with the ball, were able to take the game down to the wire courtesy of a sensational knock from Sudharsan (80 off 49) before falling short to finish on 208/6.
In the end, it was Mumbai Indians who won the key moments to set up a clash against Punjab Kings in the Qualifier 2 match -- a virtual semi-final match in Ahmedabad on Sunday, with the winner progressing to the IPL 2025 final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on June 3.
Despite heavy dew, overcoming a such a steep target in a knockout game needed a special effort which came from Sudharsan who put his team on course for an improbable chase until his dismissal in the 16th over.
Bumrah removed Washington Sundar (48 off 24) with his trademark yorker before Sudharsan missed the scoop against Richard Gleeson to see his stumps dislodged, bringing Mumbai Indians back into the game.
While it lasted, it was a delight to see Sudharsan go about his business. In a game of pure muscle, Sudharsan was a picture of elegance and found gaps all around the park with pinpoint precision.
The equation came down to 36 from 12 balls with two left-handers Rahul Tewatia and Sherfane Rutherford out in the middle but Trent Boult brought his experience into play as he dismissed the West Indian for 24 while conceding just 12 in the penultimate over.
MI debutant Richard Gleeson bowled the final over with Titans needing 24 runs and he bowled three immaculate deliveries to concede just three runs and ensure victory before hobbling out due to hamstring issue.
Earlier, Mumbai Indians got off to an aggressive start courtesy of Rohit and Bairstow after they had elected to bat first.
Titans dropped three crucial catches -- two of Rohit, who made most as he stroked 81 off 50, and one of Suryakumar Yadav (33 off 20) – while coming up with another ordinary effort with the ball in the knockout fixture.
Rohit was dropped twice in the Powerplay as Gerald Coetzee dropped him at fine leg and Kusal Mendis' GT debut went all awry when he bungled a regulation take behind stumps off Mohammed Siraj.
Bairstow, who came in as the replacement for Ryan Rickelton, went after the GT bowlers in the Powerplay as he smashed 47 off 22 to give MI the momentum in the early overs.
The out-of-favour England batter, who joined the mighty MI days after collecting back-to-back fifties in county cricket for Yorkshire, took his chances early on and was well rewarded.
He targeted Titans' best pacer of the season, Prasidh Krishna, plundering him for 26 runs in the fourth over of the innings that included three sixes. The first hit was a pull that comfortably sailed over square leg fence before picking the pacer for a clean hit down the ground.
Rohit too got into the act when spinner Sai Kishore was introduced inside the Powerplay. The former captain employed the sweep shot to perfection to collect two fours and a massive six to take his team to 79 for no loss in six overs -- MI's best Powerplay score of the season.
Most batters prefer to see out Rashid Khan but having found his rhythm, Rohit even went after the star Afghanistan spinner. He first went for the inside out aerial drive before slog sweeping Rashid for a six. At 113 for one in 10 overs, Mumbai Indians looked unstoppable.
When Suryakumar joined Rohit in the middle, boundaries continued to flow. India's T20 captain welcome Gerald Coetzee into the attack with couple of sixes, one a pull shot before he cut the next for the same result.
The confidence of the top-order also rubbed off on Tilak Varma (25 off 11) who has had a off season by his standards. He smashed three sixes in quick time before falling to Siraj.
Skipper Hardik Pandya picked Coetzee for couple of sixes in the final to push the total past 225. Considering Mumbai Indians' formidable bowling unit, Titans have a real task at hand.
The Gujarat Titans' bowlers took a real thrashing as they conceded a 220-plus total for the third match in a row.
