The Gujarat Titans scored a total of 196 runs with Sudharsan leading the way at 63, followed by contributions from Buttler (39) and Gill (38). Despite Hardik’s bowling efforts of 2-29, the Mumbai Indians finished at 160 for 6, with Suryakumar (48) and Tilak (39) as their main scorers. The Titans claimed victory by a margin of 36 runs.
In Ahmedabad, on a pitch with black soil, GT posted 196 for 8, higher than the expected par score of 180. MI, who had Hardik Pandya back after a ban for over-rates, were unable to match GT’s performance in all areas.
Although GT may not have played a flawless game, they made the right decisions, such as choosing a slow surface, according to assistant and batting coach Parthiv Patel’s in-game interview. The main issue was B Sai Sudharsan’s departure due to a left hamstring injury after diving for a catch. However, Shubman Gill later clarified that it was just cramps.
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Gill and Sudharsan make the most of the powerplay.
Prior to the season opener, Gill had expressed his desire for GT to maximize their efforts during the powerplay. Last season, they had the lowest run rate of 7.72 in this phase. Both Gill and Sudharsan were determined to elevate this number, resulting in impressive scores of 32 off 18 balls each in the first six overs. This propelled them to a total of 66 runs without losing any wickets. It marked their third-highest powerplay score in the IPL and their fifth partnership of 50 runs or more in five T20 opening innings together for Gill and Sudharsan.
The tranquil stillness following the tempest.
After the restrictions were lifted, MI managed to regain control. They limited their opponents to just 13 runs in the following three overs and successfully removed Gill from the field. Hardik delivered a short ball, which was quickly pulled by Gill straight into the hands of Naman Dhir at deep square-leg. Impressively, this was the fourth time that Hardik has dismissed Gill in a T20 match, with only 11 runs given away.
Buttler brought an end to the boundary drought in the tenth over, sending Santner’s delivery for a six and a four. He continued his streak with a boundary in each of the following four overs, until his time on 39 was cut short by Rahman.
Sudharsan receives fifty, while the others receive significantly less.
Sudharsan led GT for a while, bringing up his second fifty in as many games off 33 balls and taking the team to a score of 170 for 3 in 17 overs. However, their performance declined afterwards. On the last ball of the 18th over, Boult dismissed Sudharsan with a yorker, Tewatia was run out on the first ball of the 19th, and Rutherford was caught at deep extra-cover on the following delivery. Although Khan and Rabada hit a six each, GT only scored 26 runs in the final three overs.
In the powerplay, Siraj scores two times.
As the game began, Mohammed Siraj had given up a total of 74 runs in ten T20 matchups against Rohit Sharma, without managing to dismiss him. However, Rohit seemed determined to continue his streak as he smashed two boundaries off Siraj’s first three deliveries during the chase. It appeared that Siraj would once again be unable to conquer him, but on the second attempt with a change in delivery style, he succeeded in cutting Rohit in half and knocking down his stumps.
Tilak Varma quickly made his move and scored three consecutive boundaries off Rabada in the following over. However, Ryan Rickelton was facing difficulties on the opposite side. In the fifth over, he attempted to aggressively attack Siraj but ended up getting an inside edge and losing his wicket. The powerplay came to an end with MI’s score at 48 for 2.
Suryakumar’s stellar performance has been instrumental in maintaining MI’s momentum.
Following the explosive start, Tilak’s pace dwindled, but Suryakumar Yadav continued to keep MI in the competition. Taking on only his second delivery, he executed a supla shot and sent Siraj’s delivery soaring over fine leg for a six. Shortly after, he repeated this feat with Ishant Sharma as well.
Prasidh changes the rhythm to bring MI down.
MI had a target of 100 runs in the remaining nine overs with eight wickets still in hand, which was certainly within their reach. However, the slower balls proved to be tricky on this particular pitch. This strategy had already been effectively employed by Hardik in the first innings and Prasidh Krishna followed suit for GT. Krishna was brought on in the 12th over and managed to dismiss Tilak with a slower short ball caught at wide long-on. Suryakumar then attempted to counter this tactic by using the supla, but unfortunately ended up gloving it onto his helmet.
In IPL 2024, Hardik faced booing at this venue due to his switch from GT to MI in the previous season. However, on this night, as he stepped out to bat, the crowd cheered for him instead. Yet, scoring runs was a challenge for any new batter, especially with Hardik facing difficulties and the required run rate increasing. In an attempt to boost the team’s score, Suryakumar took on Prasidh’s bowling but ended up being caught at long-off by a slower ball. This particular delivery was clocked at just 97.1kph.
After Rabada bowled Hardik out in the following over, which only yielded four runs, MI’s chances were dashed. With 73 runs required in the final three overs, Dhir and Santner managed to hit a total of four fours and two sixes. However, the goal seemed almost impossible to achieve.
