Mullanpur (Punjab), May 30: Despite a valiant effort from Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar, Gujarat Titans (GT) fell 20 runs short in their chase of 229, as Mumbai Indians (MI) sealed a thrilling victory in the IPL 2025 Eliminator at Mullanpur on Friday.
The win propels MI into Qualifier 2, where they will face Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Ahmedabad on June 1 for a place in the final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on June 3.
Chasing 229, GT had a nightmare start with skipper Shubman Gill dismissed for just 1 by Trent Boult in the first over. However, Sai Sudharsan and Kusal Mendis quickly counterattacked. Sudharsan smashed Boult and later Hardik Pandya to accelerate the innings, while Kusal added quick runs before being dismissed hit-wicket by Mitchell Santner for 20 off 10 balls.
Sudharsan notched up his sixth half-century of the season in 28 balls and kept GT in the hunt, reaching 100 in 9.2 overs. Washington Sundar played a blistering knock, scoring 48 off just 23 balls, including five fours and three sixes. The duo put together an 84-run stand before Jasprit Bumrah ended it with a perfect yorker.
GT was 161/3 after 15 overs, needing 68 from 30 balls. Sudharsan was eventually bowled by Richard Gleeson for a superb 81 off 49 balls, and although Sherfane Rutherford and Rahul Tewatia kept fighting, tight death bowling from Boult, Bumrah, and Ashwani kept the Titans at bay.
GT finished on 208/6, with Tewatia (16*) and Rashid Khan (0*) unbeaten. Boult (2/56) was MI’s best bowler, while Bumrah, Gleeson, Santner, and Ashwani each picked a wicket.
Earlier, MI posted a daunting 228/5, powered by Rohit Sharma’s sublime 81 off 50 balls and valuable contributions from Jonny Bairstow (47), Tilak Varma (25), and Hardik Pandya’s late fireworks (22* off 9 balls). The openers gave MI a flying start, with 79/0 in the powerplay, and continued the momentum throughout the innings.
Prasidh Krishna (2/53) and Sai Kishore (2/42) were the only notable wicket-takers for GT.
With a solid all-round performance, MI eliminated the 2022 champions GT and moved one step closer to the IPL 2025 final.
Brief Scores:
- MI: 228/5 (Rohit Sharma 81, Jonny Bairstow 47, Sai Kishore 2/42)
- GT: 208/6 (Sai Sudharsan 81, Washington Sundar 48, Trent Boult 2/56)
- Result: Mumbai Indians won by 20 runs