IPL2025 : Mumbai Indians edge out Gujarat Titans by 20 runs , to meet Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2

 

Five-time champions Mumbai Indians have taken another big step toward their sixth title. Under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, Mumbai Indians defeated Gujarat Titans by 20 runs in the Eliminator match and secured their spot in Qualifier 2.

The match, played in Mullanpur, saw a brilliant innings from Rohit Sharma (81), which powered Mumbai to a massive total of 228 runs — the highest score ever recorded in IPL playoff history. Despite a valiant effort from Sai Sudharsan (80), who kept Gujarat in the chase, Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult produced a stunning comeback to seal a memorable victory for Mumbai. With this loss, Gujarat Titans’ dream of reaching the final for a third consecutive time was shattered.

Held on Friday, May 30, the playoff clash between the third- and fourth-ranked teams promised to be a thrilling contest — and it delivered. While Mumbai’s batting was outstanding, Gujarat’s fielding was equally disappointing, with four simple catches dropped. Notably, in the second and third overs alone, Rohit Sharma was dropped twice within five deliveries, and soon after, Jonny Bairstow (47) was also given a lifeline. These early let-offs helped Mumbai lay the foundation for victory right in the powerplay.

Rohit and Bairstow stitched together an 84-run partnership, followed by quickfire contributions from Suryakumar Yadav (33) and Tilak Varma (25), both of whom built rapid stands with Rohit. While Bairstow and Suryakumar missed out on half-centuries, Rohit — after a season full of ups and downs — played a memorable knock of 81. Captain Hardik Pandya (22) then smashed three sixes in the final over, taking Mumbai to a formidable 228. That last over alone yielded 22 runs, which proved to be a decisive margin. For Gujarat, Sai Kishore and Prasidh Krishna picked up two wickets each.

Chasing a record target, Gujarat Titans got off to the worst possible start as captain Shubman Gill fell to Trent Boult (2/56) on just the fourth ball of the innings. From there, Sai Sudharsan took charge, continuing his excellent season with another superb half-century, aided by Kusal Mendis and Washington Sundar. In particular, his 84-run stand with Sundar (48) looked like it might swing the match in Gujarat’s favor.

But then came the game-changing moment. It was the 14th over, and Bumrah was into his third over. On the fourth ball, Sundar faced a lethal yorker from Bumrah (1/27), which crashed into the stumps and left Sundar sprawled on the pitch — along with Gujarat’s fading hopes. Just two overs later, Sudharsan (80) was bowled as well, and Gujarat couldn’t recover from there. In the end, they managed only 208 runs in their 20 overs, falling short and ending their campaign.