Following a decisive victory over Gujarat Titans in the Eliminator at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Friday, May 30, the Mumbai Indians secured their spot in the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2. Hardik Pandya, the captain of MI, won the toss and chose to bat first. As can be seen, the choice served them well on a flat surface, which provided the hitters with excellent support.
The batting order demonstrated total domination in the first innings as MI scored 228 for the loss of five wickets. In response, GT got off to a poor start and lost captain Shubman Gill for a very low cost. After that, a few partnerships here and there and a lone battle from B Sai Sudharsan meant that it wasn’t enough in the end, and the Ahmedabad-based team was eliminated from the tournament since they missed the target by 20 runs.
Talking Points
1. Gujarat Titans bowlers get destroyed by a magnificent Rohit Sharma.
Rohit Sharma, who is renowned for his purposeful approach, batted merry-making and provided the Mumbai-based team a fantastic start. The 38-year-old aggressive batsman opened the batting with Jonny Bairstow (47 off 22), hitting nine boundaries and four sixes to score 81 off just 50 balls. In addition to him, Suryakumar Yadav (33 off 20), Hardik (22 off 9), and Tilak Varma (25 off 11) all made significant cameos to help the five-time champions score a decent total in the vital Playoff match.
2. Gujarat Titans cruise but eventually sink.
B Sai Sudharsan (80 off 49) was outstanding in his attacking yet focused style despite a rough start. However, the Tamil Nadu native was left as the only batter in Gujarat Titans pursuit due to a lack of significant assistance from the opposing end. Washington Sundar attempted to maintain the pace, but Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliant bowling put an end to his very threatening knock. After that, the playing field shifted in MI’s favour, and the team eventually defeated Punjab Kings to go to the second qualifying game on Sunday, June 1.
3. RCB awaits their Motera matchup finalists.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be eagerly observing the game a few nights before to find out who will advance to the final match at the magnificent Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday. Royal Challengers Bengaluru have already qualified for the grand finale. It will be the end of the story for those who lose, but the winner of MI vs. PBKS will advance to the next round. But only when the men of Shreyas Iyer square off against Hardik Pandya & Co. will the event be realised.
Who Said What?
Hardik Pandya, winning captain, said
At one point of time, the game was even-steven. I thought the wicket got better in the second innings. The way Jonny started, for him to make our debut for us… the way Ro batted. He took his time. When you see important games, all these margins help. It’s very simple: whenever you feel the game is going far [away], just get him. It’s like Mumbai housing prices – he’s that expensive! I just need to throw the ball. I just thought if we can keep some extra runs at the end. It was important, Jassi comes and bowls that over, and the margin becomes bigger. It’s going to be very important to recover well
Shubman Gill, losing captain, said
Last three or four overs didn’t go our way, but still a very good game of cricket. Not easy when we drop three sitters, especially in the powerplay. Not easy for the bowlers to control. The message was simple: just play the game you want to play. The goal was the same for both [Sai Sudharsan and Washington]… Lot of positives for us. Last two or three games didn’t go our way, but credit to all the players – especially Sai; he was terrific. I think 210 was par on this pitch
Rohit Sharma, Player of the Match, said
I’ve got only four fifties; I think I would have liked to get more. I do understand the importance of playing the Eliminator. Again, a complete team performance. When I play, it’s trying to understand how I can play my best. Today, after having those luck going my way, I knew I had to make the most of it. I’m glad I could do that, and get the team into a good position. We knew it would be slightly challenging with the dew coming in. I’ve played all those shots in the game before, and unfortunately, I found fielders [today]. I got lucky; those catches got dropped. Even after the drop, you’ve got to play well. It was a good bowling effort as well. I’ve watched Bairstow over the years being on the other side… we know what he can do upfront with the bat. Took his chances, and it came off. We always look for that start.
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