Mumbai Indians posted a daunting 228 for 5 in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to a thrilling opening partnership between Rohit Sharma and Jonny Bairstow in the IPL 2025 Eliminator match against Gujarat Titans at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium at New Chandigarh on Friday.
Former MI skipper Rohit Sharma set the tone with a dominating 81, writing his name in the record books as only the second player to reach a milestone in IPL history—behind only Virat Kohli. Gujarat Titans, on the other hand, were left rueing a string of missed opportunities which ultimately came at a price.
Rohit's knock, replete with raw muscle and boundary-clearing simplicity, saw him scoring nine fours and four sixes. But his innings was not without blemishes—Rohit was given two reprieves, which underscored a dismal fielding effort from the 2022 champions.
His initial escape occurred early in the innings, when he was on merely 3. A pull shot, played in a rush, went straight to deep square leg fielder Gerald Coetzee, who spilt a sitter. Rohit took immediate advantage, hitting Mohammed Siraj for successive fours in the next over. Siraj did get an edge, but wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis dropped it.
Jonny Bairstow, making his first IPL appearance for Mumbai, was unstoppable. He tore through the fourth over, hammering Prasidh Krishna for 26 runs with three massive sixes. The opening duo set the tone with a record 79 without loss during the powerplay—the franchise's highest in an IPL playoff.
While Gujarat had previously allowed two opportunities to go away, Sai Sudharsan produced a gem to finally send Bairstow packing on 47. The Englishman attempted a reverse sweep off Sai Kishore, but Sudharsan's lightning-fast reflexes and acrobatic dive to his left kept the ball in the air long enough for Coetzee to make a dazzling tag-team catch.
Rohit thereafter brought up his fourth fifty of the season within 28 deliveries.
Suryakumar Yadav, who has been MI’s steadiest batter throughout the season, contributed 33. He wasted no time and slammed two successive sixes off Coetzee. Gujarat’s fielding woes continued when Mendis dropped another chance—this time to dismiss Yadav. The right-hander extended his astonishing record with his 15th consecutive T20 score of 25 or more before mistiming a sweep off Sai Kishore, finding Washington Sundar at the ropes.
Rohit and Tilak Varma (25) kept up the attack with sixes against Coetzee. Rohit's game of fun ended when he tickled a slower one by Prasidh Krishna, and Rashid Khan didn't err at mid-wicket.
Prasidh, who had been pricey all through his spell, regained some control for GT in the previous over, dismissing Naman Dhir (9) as MI crossed 200.
Hardik Pandya, captain MI, finished the game in style, hitting Coetzee for three sixes off the last over to lead his team to a strong 228/5.
Match Summary:
Mumbai Indians 228/5 in 20 overs
(Rohit Sharma 81, Jonny Bairstow 47, Suryakumar Yadav 33; Sai Kishore 2-42, Prasidh Krishna 2-53) vs Gujarat Titans
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