Gujarat Titans got off to a good start as their openers added 31. However, Jasprit Bumrah (3/14) produced a brute of a yorker to clean up Wriddhiman Saha for 19 off 15 balls. Skipper Gill contributed 31 off 22, while Sai Sudharsan top-scored with 45 off 39, hitting three fours and a six. Azmatullah Omarzai and David Miller fell cheaply for 17 and 12 respectively. However, Rahul Tewatia hammered 22 off 15 with the aid of two fours and a six to lift GT past the 165-run mark. Apart from Bumrah, Gerald Coetzee (2/27) also impressed for MI.
Mumbai Indians got off to a poor start in the chase as Ishan Kishan fell for a four-ball duck, trying to go after Omarzai. Opener and former skipper Rohit Sharma contributed 43 off 29, while Naman Dhir clobbered three fours and a six in his 10-ball 20 but perished to Omarzai after punishing him.
Rohit and Dewald Brevis (46 off 38) added 77 for the third wicket before the former was trapped lbw by R Sai Kishore. Brevis chipped a return catch to Mohit Sharma, who also dismissed Tim David for 11 off 10 balls. Tilak Varma (25 off 19) kept Mumbai Indians’ hopes alive until he fell to Spencer Johnson. Johnson also had Coetzee (1) caught and bowled, while skipper Hardik Pandya (11 off 4) fell to Umesh Yadav in the last over as MI were held to 162/9.
“The way the boys held their nerves with dew coming in, it was outstanding. The way our spinners bowled made sure we are always in the game. It's all about holding your nerves. He [Sai Sudharsan] has been a revelation for us. We just wanted to build on the pressure and wait for them to make mistakes. The crowd is one thing, have always come whether it is a day game or a night game and shout out to all the fans who have come here to support us,” Gill was quoted as saying after GT’s win over MI.
--By A Cricket Correspondent
