Prasidh Krishna was excellent for Titans with the ball. © BCCI Gujarat Titans extended their unbeaten run over Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad as they registered a clinical 36-run victory at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Sai Sudharsan (63 off 41), Shubman Gill (38 off 27) and Jos Buttler (39 off 24) led the effort after the hosts were asked to bat, with GT posting a sizable 196 for 8 on a black soil wicket that was keeping a touch low. Mohammed Siraj then delivered early strikes while Prasidh Krishna applied the stranglehold later in the innings to hand MI their second defeat in as many games in this edition. Where was the game won? At the halfway stage of MI’s chase, they had managed to almost catch up with the Titans’ score of 92, having reached 86 in their innings. But the ensuing period of MI’s innings was when GT completely wrested control, thanks to an ace up their sleeve. Krishna wasn’t used until the start of the 12th over, and as soon as he came on, he ended a crucial stand between Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav, keeping the ball out of MI’s hitting arc. A couple of tight overs later, he added the key wicket of Suryakumar to his tally as he finished with excellent figures of 2 for 18, with only two fours scored off him, that too towards the end. From the 12th over to 18th, GT bossed over MI, conceding only 37 runs in that seven-over period, with Krishna playing a pivotal role. Such was his effectiveness that GT didn’t even have to use Rashid Khan in the second half of their bowling effort. GUJARAT TITANS PowerPlay: Sudharsan, Gill ensure productive start Phase score – 66/0 [RR: 11.00, 4s/6s: 7/2] Gill struck a couple of boundaries in the first two overs but Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar were disciplined with their lines otherwise, offering little room for the batters. Sudharsan provided some tempo with a lovely straight drive and a flick for two fours off Boult but a five-run over from Chahar slowed things down for GT again. The shift in momentum came when spin was introduced as Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, who replaced Will Jacks, was struck for a four and a straight six by Sudharsan, while Gill added a boundary of his own in a 15-run over. The GT captain launched Chahar straight down the ground for his first six, followed by a powerful pull for four, with overthrows in between gifting the home side extra runs. The 20-run over from Chahar capped off a productive end to the first phase, with GT scoring 53% of their PowerPlay runs in the final two overs. Middle overs: Buttler powers GT’s progress Phase score – 74/2 [RR: 8.22, 4s/6s: 6/1] After a strong start, GT’s momentum dipped again as Hardik Pandya and Mitchell Santner bowled tightly in tandem. The pressure to accelerate led to Gill’s dismissal for 38, pulling Pandya straight to deep square leg. Buttler immediately targeted Santner, striking a six (Satyanarayana Raju missing a boundary-line catch) and a four as GT reached the halfway mark with a run rate above nine. MI burned a review when Pandya thought Buttler had edged one to the keeper, but replays showed no contact. Buttler capitalised on a misfield from Naman Dhir to collect another four off Santner, followed by boundaries for both batters off Raju. The 50-run partnership came swiftly, with Buttler contributing 39 before Mujeeb struck. Playing a supporting role in the middle overs, Sudharsan reached a 33-ball fifty as GT sustained a scoring rate above nine. Death overs: GT lose wickets in heap but finish close to 200 Phase score – 56/6 [RR: 11.20, 4s/6s: 0/6] Shahrukh Khan was promoted ahead of Sherfane Rutherford but departed quickly, falling to Pandya after pulling a short ball for six. Rutherford and Sudharsan then took on the inexperienced Raju, smashing a six each in a 19-run 17th over. Rutherford also cleared the mid-wicket fence off Trent Boult, but Sudharsan fell in the same over, trapped LBW by a well-directed yorker. Moments later, a direct hit from Pandya caught Rahul Tewatia short of the crease without facing a ball, and Rutherford perished near the boundary off Deepak Chahar in the same over. Kagiso Rabada and Rashid Khan provided the finishing touches, landing a couple of hefty blows in the final two overs to push GT past 190. MUMBAI INDIANS PowerPlay: Siraj strikes put MI on the back foot Phase score – 48/2 [RR: 8.00, 4s/6s: 5/2] Rohit Sharma put away a couple of loose deliveries on his pads from Siraj before the bowler hit back with a scrambled seam delivery to have the star batter bowled. Tilak Varma took on Kagiso Rabada, striking two fours and an audacious scoop shot for a six. But Siraj’s six-run over, followed by impact sub Ishant Sharma’s miserly two-run over, built pressure on MI. Ryan Rickelton was the next to fall, inside-edging a Siraj delivery before Suryakumar flicked the pacer for a six. Tilak was given out leg-before attempting a reverse sweep off Rashid but the batter reviewed the decision successfully. Rashid, meanwhile, gave away only four runs as MI finished 18 short of GT’s PowerPlay tally. Middle overs: Pressure builds on MI after Tilak-Suryakumar stand Phase score – 70/2 [RR: 7.77, 4s/6s: 3/3] With the field spread, Rabada bowled an economical over but Ishant was expensive in his second over, being hit for a four by Tilak and a six by Suryakumar. 11 came off the next over, bowled by R Sai Kishore, including a four for Suryakumar, with Sudharsan leaving the field after injuring himself trying to stop the boundary. Rashid bowled a six-run over but MI had narrowed the gap at the end of the 10th over, only six short of GT’s score at the same stage. Tilak, however, had slowed down by then and in a bid to ease the pressure, he tried to go after Prasidh but failed in his attempt. Suryakumar’s six off Sai Kishore was followed by Impact sub Robin Minz’s dismissal in the same over as the punches and counter-punches continued. Suryakumar was also struck on his helmet trying to scoop a short, slow ball from Prasidh who gave away only four in his second over. Despite being hit for a four, Sai Kishore conceded only six in the 15th over, leaving MI with a required rate of over 15 for the last five overs. Death overs: Prasidh and Co. power GT to victory Phase score – 42/2 [RR: 8.40, 4s/6s: 4/2] Prasidh had already delivered a crucial strike and bowled two tight overs. And at the end of his third over, he dealt a mighty blow as Suryakumar fell to a slower delivery, leaving MI needing 77 off 24. A struggling Pandya fell to Rabada trying to play a ramp shot as GT further strengthened their grip on the game. Dhir and Santner struck a few boundaries but it was too late by then and all they could do was narrow the margin of defeat. Brief scores: Gujarat Titans 196/8 in 20 overs (Sai Sudharsan 63, Jos Buttler 39, Shubman Gill 38; Hardik Pandya 2-29) beat Mumbai Indians 160/6 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 48, Tilak Varma 39; Prasidh Krishna 2-18, Mohammed Siraj 2-34) by 36 runs What’s next for the teams? The Titans will travel to Bengaluru to take on hosts Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 2. MI have a shorter turnaround, with their next match being their first IPL 2025 home game against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 31.
