For a change, pacers dominate batters as Gujarat Titans humble Mumbai Indians
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For all their firepower, Mumbai Indians' batting appeared shallow in Ahmedabad, facing a disciplined Gujarat Titans bowling unit. They were going steadily when Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav forged a 62-run partnership for the third wicket, but once that ended, the former champions collapsed.
In response to Gujarat's 196/8, Mumbai Indians were 97/3 in 11.2 overs, with Tilak and Suryakumar in the middle. Yet they somehow finished at 160/6 from 20, losing by 36 runs to remain winless after two matches. Rajasthan Royals are the only other franchise that has had two defeats from their opening two matches.
Kagiso Rabada was the only Gujarat bowler with an economy over 10, yet he ended Mumbai's last resort, returning captain Hardik Pandya (11). Fellow pacers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna were more successful, claiming two wickets each, with the latter finishing with enviable figures of 2/18 from his full quota of overs.
It was Prasidh who ended Varma's patient knock for 39, caught in the deep while trying to clear a slower ball. He also took out Surya (48), caught at long off to another slow one.
For a change, a game of IPL seemed an even contest between bat and ball, or perhaps a tad in favour of the seamers. It wasn't just the Gujarat seamers who impressed, their counterparts in MI colours, too, had a good evening.
MI's returning skipper Pandya, who won the toss, must have been delighted to find the execution of death bowling from his pacers. It is important to note that Mumbai are still without their finest pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, who remains unfit. Pandya claimed two himself (2/29 from 4).
Gujarat's openers Sai Sudharsan (63) and Shubman Gill (38) had laid the foundation with a 78-run stand before Jos Buttler continued the momentum with a 24-ball 39. But besides the top three, only Sherfane Rutherford (18) scored in double digits. Rahul Tewatia (0) was run out, while Shahrukh Khan perished for 9.
Credit goes to Pandya's bowlers, especially the pacers Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult and Satyanarayana Raju, who kept it tidy in the end. Chahar finished with 1/39 from his four, with just 7 runs given away in the 19th over. He removed Rutherford.
Boult, who delivered the 18th, leaked 9 runs and claimed a wicket to finish his quota for 1/34. Raju (1/40 from 3) was entrusted with bowling the 20th and he kept it tight, dismissing Rashid Khan and leaking just 9 runs. But in the end, their famed batters couldn't do justice in the chase.
Brief scores: GT 196/8 in 20 overs (Sai Sudharsan 63, Buttler 39, Shubman Gill 38, Hardik Pandya 2/29) bt MI 160/6 in 20 overs (Suryakumar 48, Tilak 39, Prasidh 2/18, Siraj 2/34)