Mumbai Indians Storm Into Qualifier 2 with Commanding 20-Run Win Over Gujarat Titans
- Rohit leads MI to 228, highest at Mullanpur.
- Sai Sudharsan’s 80 not enough as GT fall short by 20 runs.
- Tension at toss between captains Hardik and Gill.
Mumbai Indians delivered a high-octane performance in the IPL 2025 Eliminator, overpowering Gujarat Titans by 20 runs to seal a spot in Qualifier 2, where they will face Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad on Sunday, June 1.
Batting first, Mumbai Indians lit up Mullanpur with a record-breaking total of 228/5, the highest ever at the venue. Skipper Rohit Sharma led from the front with a scintillating 81 off 50 balls, laced with 9 fours and 4 sixes. Rohit was given two lives early in his innings, which he capitalized on to set the tone for a dominant batting display.
The innings began with a bang as Jonny Bairstow unleashed a brutal assault on the Gujarat bowling, smashing 47 off just 22 deliveries at a strike rate of 213.63. The momentum was sustained by Suryakumar Yadav (33 off 20) and Tilak Varma (25 off 11), before Hardik Pandya, in his usual finisher's role, hammered an unbeaten 22 off 9 balls to push the score beyond 225.
Gujarat Titans' fielding was in shambles, with Kusal Mendis having a nightmare outing behind the stumps, reportedly dropping 8–9 chances. Their bowlers, too, faltered under pressure. Prasidh Krishna and Sai Kishore picked up two wickets apiece but conceded runs at over 10 an over. Gerald Coetzee, in particular, had a forgettable outing, leaking 51 runs in just 3 overs.
In reply, Gujarat Titans showed some fight, largely due to Sai Sudharsan's valiant 80 off 49 balls. He cracked 10 fours and a six, giving Gujarat a glimmer of hope. However, his efforts were not enough to cover for Shubman Gill’s early dismissal, who was sent back for just 1 off 2 balls by Trent Boult.
Mendis chipped in with a brisk 20 off 10 before bizarrely hitting his own wicket. Washington Sundar, promoted up the order, played a counter-attacking knock of 48 off 24, but just as Gujarat threatened to stage a comeback, Jasprit Bumrah cleaned him up with a deadly yorker that knocked both the stumps and Gujarat’s hopes to the ground.
Rutherford’s 24 off 15 was brief resistance, but with Bumrah (4-0-27-1) and Boult (4-0-56-2) closing in, Gujarat folded under pressure. Richard Gleeson, struggling with a hamstring injury, bravely came back to bowl the final over, conceding a few before Ashwani Kumar wrapped things up, dismissing Shah Rukh Khan to confirm MI’s 20-run win.
Off the field, tensions flared as an apparent cold war between the captains stole headlines. Hardik Pandya was seen refusing to shake hands with Shubman Gill at the toss, and Gill avoided eye contact as Pandya walked past roaring. This isn't the first instance Hardik was also seen ignoring Shreyas Iyer in a previous match against Punjab Kings.
With the win, Mumbai Indians advance to Qualifier 2 and will face a bruised Punjab Kings on Sunday, June 1 at Ahmedabad, as they aim for a place in the final.
