ELIMINATOR , GT Vs MI , AHMEDABAD, IPL 2025 : MI’s Openers and Bumrah Dominate to Knock GT Out of IPL 2025 .
IPL 2025 Eliminator, GT vs MI as it happened: Mumbai Indians (MI) defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) by 20 runs, secured place in Qualifier 2. MI beat GT, led by Rohit Sharma’s superlative 50-ball 81 and Jasprit Bumrah’s frugal spell in a high-scoring contest. Invited to bat first, MI posted 228/5 in 20 overs, guided by fine cameos from Jonny Bairstow, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya as well. GT lost captain Shubman Gill in the first over itself but a quickfire 80 from B Sai Sudharsan and a 48 off 39 balls from Washington Sundar took the team home. MI will now face Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2025 after this win. MI’s Openers and Bumrah Dominate to Knock GT Out of IPL 2025 .
TOSS-
Mumbai Indians have won the toss and have opted to bat .
PLAYING XI-
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI):
Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Raj Bawa, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Richard Gleeson
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI):
Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Kusal Mendis(w), Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, RahulTewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Gerald Coetzee, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Gujarat Titans Impact Subs:
Sherfane Rutherford, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Jayant Yadav, Arshad Khan.
Mumbai Indians Impact Subs:
Krishnan Shrijith, Raghu Sharma, Robin Minz, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley.
MUMBAI INDIANS –
Rohit Sharma (with 67 not out) and Jonny Bairstow (with 43) steered the Mumbai Indians to their highest powerplay score of the season. The former was aided by an early escape, being missed twice on 3 and 12. But his partner went on the rampage first, a steady start igniting some fireworks, as they began to rain blows over Prasidh Krishna. Bairstow took Krishna apart by himself in over number four smashing him for 26 runs. He pulled, he sliced and he drove for three sixes and two fours that let the cat among the pigeons. Rohit kicked into gear following a relatively sedate start with huge sweeps off R Sai Kishore who was introduced for the last over of the powerplay. With three categories of sweep and three boundaries, Rohit had MI content while choosing to bat first.
Bairstow fell several short of his fifty in the meanwhile after a stunning point relay catch initiated by Sai Sudharsan. By the time he fell for 47 in the eighth over, Bairstow had all but laid the foundations. Sharma, who went past 7000 IPL runs, reached his fifty off 27 balls and also stuck around in the middle with Suryakumar Yadav. He then also dismissed the spin duo of Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore in the middle overs piling more misery on the Titans. Yadav took it upon himself to go after Gerald Coetzee at the other end, though, and relied on the fortune to be dropped by Kusal Mendis, his second drop of the evening, after belting him for two sixes in a row. His cameo, however, was brief as Sai Kishore knocked him over on the last ball of his spell with Yadav caught in the deep going for a slog-sweep. That wicket also meant the spinners snuck in a couple of tight overs before Tilak Varma got into his groove while batting with Sharma.
Mumbai Indians got the finish they wanted – a 22-run final over, fuelled by three sixes from Hardik Pandya. They had stumbled in the middle after Tilak Varma and Rohit fell off consecutive balls. It had raised GT’s hopes of keeping MI considerably down before the final cameo by Pandya provided another Fillip. Of the Titans only Rashid Khan emerged relatively unscathed, his four overs costing 31 runs.
GUJARAT TITANS-
Shubman Gill was pinned in front in the first over of the chase by a big inswinger from Trent Boult. That initial failure prolonged the misery for the Gujarat Titans. Mumbai, meanwhile, were cock-a-hoop after taking some of their form into the defense as well. But against the run of play, but in keeping with what has been happening in the series on the whole, the Titans discovered Sai Sudharsan to be their savior. He began the counterpunches with a six off Boult which was followed by two from Kusal Mendis himself. Sudharsan smacked two boundaries off Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah to keep hitting a few fists back. The pair added 64 runs together and it seemed like GT had a chance.
An 84-run partnership for the third wicket kept the Titans plugging away in the middle overs. With Kusal Mendis retired hit wicket, the Titans got a couple of left-handers in the middle and the ploy worked bamboozled the opposition. Because of the threat they presented, left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner was held back, and with that they built a profitable partnership. Sudharsan had also raised a 28-ball fifty and Sundar hit his stride versus Boult. He creamed the senior pacer for two sixes on the trot and then followed it up with a four to take the tension off Sudharsan, who till then had carried the chase all by himself. The pair had been adding at close to 12 an over, and they were giving it a right old go to break open the chase when Pandya had to recall his talisman Jasprit Bumrah. And the pacer struck a vital blow again by yorking Sundar for 48 to bring MI back into the game.
As a unit, MI’s bowlers were all on the money in the end overs. Add to that the well-set Sudharsan hoicking a scoop, losing his wicket bowled on 80 to Richard Gleeson made matters worse for them. But the young Ashwani Kumar assisted the seasoned Bumrah in putting together some silent moments through the death overs while adding to the pressure. The wicket was claimed by Boult, who had Sherfane Rutherford nailed on to deepmidwicket early on in the penultimate over. But a massive six from Shahrukh Khan reduced the equation to 24 off the last over bowled by Gleeson, who was struggling with a niggle. The pacer went off after bowling three balls without a boundary, an over that was to be completed by Ashwani who delivered the coup de grace.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indians 228/5 (Rohit Sharma 81, Jonny Bairstow 47) beat Gujarat Titans 208/6 (Sai Sudharsan 80, Washington Sundar 48) by 20 runs .