Despite a frustrating start that saw three straightforward chances go down in the powerplay, Gujarat’s spinners, Rashid and R Sai Kishore (2/34), tightened the screws in the middle overs, forcing a Mumbai batting collapse under mounting pressure
Pic: IPL/X
Gujarat Titans overcame early fielding lapses to claw their way back into the contest, thanks to a resurgent spell from spin maestro Rashid Khan (1/21), restricting Mumbai Indians to a modest 155/8 in their IPL 2025 clash on Tuesday.
Despite a frustrating start that saw three straightforward chances go down in the powerplay, Gujarat’s spinners, Rashid and R Sai Kishore (2/34), tightened the screws in the middle overs, forcing a Mumbai batting collapse under mounting pressure.
Will Jacks, who enjoyed two lives on 0 and 29, capitalized to score a 35-ball 53 laced with five boundaries and three sixes. Suryakumar Yadav added a brisk 34, but the rest of the Mumbai lineup faltered, including key figures like captain Hardik Pandya (1) and Tilak Varma (7), who failed to stand up when it mattered most.
The innings began with drama as Mohammed Siraj (1/29) dismissed Ryan Rickelton (2) with a sharp catch by B Sai Sudharsan at extra cover, only for the same fielder to grass a sitter from Jacks shortly afterward. Rohit Sharma (7) struggled against the accuracy of Arshad Khan (1/18), who eventually induced a miscue to mid-off, safely pouched by Prasidh Krishna.
Suryakumar offered a glimpse of brilliance with consecutive straight drives off Prasidh Krishna (1/37), but he too was granted a life when Sai Kishore misjudged a routine catch at midwicket. Meanwhile, Siraj missed a straightforward chance off Jacks, compounding Gujarat’s woes in the field.
Had those opportunities been taken, MI could’ve been reeling at 25/4 inside the powerplay. Instead, they reached a respectable 56/2 after six overs, riding their luck. Jacks and Suryakumar stitched a fluent 71-run stand off 43 deliveries for the third wicket, but their dismissals in successive overs allowed GT’s spin attack, led by Rashid, to wrest back control.
Suryakumar, who reached the top of the IPL run charts this season, fell attempting an expansive lofted drive off Sai Kishore, only to be caught by Shahrukh Khan at long-off. Jacks, troubled throughout by Rashid’s variations, finally succumbed by sweeping one straight to Sudharsan at deep square.
Rashid, who was sharp and relentless with his line and length, was unlucky on two DRS reviews—one for impact outside off against Jacks and another where the ball narrowly missed the stumps against Suryakumar.
Pandya’s soft dismissal off Kishore and Tilak’s mistimed stroke to Shubman Gill off Gerald Coetzee added to MI’s woes. A late cameo from Corbin Bosch, who smashed 27 off 22 balls with two sixes and a four, helped Mumbai push past the 150-mark.
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