Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Titans. (Photo Source: IPL)
Defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) hammered Mumbai Indians (MI) to a 62-run win in Qualifier 2 so as to obtain a place in the IPL final. The side will cash in their title on Sunday, May 28, as they will lock horns with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the summit clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The Titans put on a massive 233 runs in the first innings, courtesy of Shubman Gill’s phenomenal ton. In reply, Mohit Sharma’s masterclass with the ball helped the defending champions cruise to their second final on the trot.
Here are the Talking Points from the GT vs MI clash-
Shubman Gill’s magic with the bat propels GT towards humongous total
In the first innings, Shubman Gill was at his destructive best as he smoked runs all over the park with ease. Taking the rival bowling unit to the cleaners, Gill cracked ten sixes and seven fours in his sensational 60-ball 129, concluding with a marvellous strike rate of 215.00. Moreover, he combined to raise a magnificent 138-run stand with Sai Sudharsan, which kept the Titans in the driver’s seat. Invaluable knocks by Sai Sudharsan (43 off 31) and skipper Hardik Pandya (28* off 13) steered the side to attain 233 runs in the first innings.
Suryakumar, Green, Tilak fight hard during chase
In reply, Mumbai were further handed major blows as they lost the opening duo of skipper Rohit Sharma and Impact Player Nehal Wadhera for a combined score of 12 runs in under two overs. Despite this, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma put on a tough fight as they got 51 runs between them to help Mumbai claw their way back into the contest. While Suryakumar got 61 off 38 balls, Tilak scored 43 off mere 14 balls. Despite being further aided by Cameron Green, who notched 30 off 20 balls, the asking run rate proved to be a bit too much for the five-time winners.
Mohit Sharma’s five-wicket haul seals final berth
Seasoned pacer Mohit Sharma rose to the occasion and sliced through the middle-order with his majestic spell. In mere 2.2 overs, Mohit recorded a five-wicket haul for just ten runs at a stunning economy of 4.28. Courtesy of his brilliant spell, Gujarat comfortably won the crucial contest by a massive 62 runs to cruise to the final.
Winning captain, Hardik Pandya said-
Lot of hard work has gone behind it, guys have worked hard and their success is reflecting. Shubman’s clarity and amazing innings is what’s keeping him on top. He wasn’t rushed or not in control at any point. He’s a superstar who will do big things for the franchise and the country. My job is to keep the boys in a good space. Everyone has taken responsibility which has been fantastic. Rashid has been amazing, especially when we’ve not been in a commanding position. Irrespective of the result, if we play our best cricket we should do well in the final.
Losing captain, Rohit Sharma said-
Shubman batted well, wicket was good. They got 20-25 extra. We were positive after the first-half. Greeny and Surya batted well but we lost our way. We wanted to give it a good crack, be positive. We couldn’t get going in the powerplay. We wanted one batter, like Gujarat did, and take the game deep where anything can happen on a good pitch and a ground with a small boundary. But credit to GT, who played well. Kishan’s concussion was unexpected. It was a last-minute change. We had to adapt, to different conditions and situations. Not looking at that though. Playing this game, qualifying and coming this far is big, the batting has been a big positive we can take into the next season. All the bowling teams have been challenged. We had a great performance last game. We have to credit Shubman. I hope he continues that form (laughs). Tim’s been given a role this season, I wanted to send Vishnu up. It didn’t work out today.
Player of the Match, Shubman Gill said-
Playing ball-to-ball, assessing the situation is important. The over I hit three sixes is where I felt it was my day. It was a good wicket to bat on and I wanted to maximise scoring. (On six hitting) Not a conscious decision, you want to keep evolving. Belief is more important, helps when you’re coming off a good international season. Success has been a combination of a lot of things. WI tour last year began change. I was injured in 2021 which is when I worked on my batting I made technical changes as well. (Handling expectations) It doesn’t matter when you make your way into the playing field. This is my best innings so far in the IPL.