Second consecutive defeat for Mumbai Indians; Gujarat Titans triumph by 36 runs

AHMEDABAD: Mumbai Indians faced their second straight loss of the IPL season, falling to Gujarat Titans by 36 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Chasing a target of 197 runs, Mumbai could only manage 160/6 in 20 overs. Hardik Pandya’s team struggled to accelerate the run rate in the middle overs despite a good start, which proved costly.

Chasing 197, Mumbai lost their former captain Rohit Sharma (8 off 4) in the very first over. He hit two consecutive boundaries off Mohammed Siraj but was bowled by a brilliant delivery. Fellow opener Ryan Rickelton also failed to make an impact, scoring just 6 (9) before getting out.

Tilak Varma (39 off 36) and Suryakumar Yadav (48 off 28) built a 62-run partnership for the third wicket. However, Tilak’s dismissal in the 12th over left Mumbai at 97/3, putting pressure on the middle order. Robin Minz (3 off 6) and captain Hardik Pandya (11 off 17) failed to deliver. Naman Dhir remained unbeaten on 18* (11), while Mitchell Santner scored 18 (9) not out. For Gujarat, Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj picked up two wickets each, while R. Sai Kishore and Kagiso Rabada claimed one wicket apiece.

Earlier, Gujarat Titans, batting first, posted 196/8 in 20 overs. Opener Sai Sudharsan was the top scorer for GT with 63 off 41 balls, hitting four fours and two sixes.

Mumbai captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and chose to field first. Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill (38 off 27) provided a solid start, adding 78 runs for the first wicket before Pandya broke the partnership in the ninth over.

England star Jos Buttler, batting at number three, contributed 39 (24). Shahrukh Khan (9 off 7) and Sherfane Rutherford (18 off 11) added some runs, while Rahul Tewatia was dismissed for a duck. Rashid Khan (6 off 4), Sai Kishore (1 off 1), and Kagiso Rabada (7* off 5) helped Gujarat reach 196. For Mumbai, captain Hardik Pandya took two wickets, while Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Satyanarayana Raju claimed one wicket each.