In the 51st match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, Mumbai Indians (MI) defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) by five runs at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
After winning the toss, Hardik Pandya asked MI to bat first. The innings began blazingly for the five-time IPL champions as their captain Rohit Sharma (44) gave the most perfect start to the team. Sharma struck sharply at 153.57 and was middling all the initial delivery which he faced. On the other hand, Ishan Kishan (45) had a slow start but gradually improved as the game went through. The opening duo were due for a big inning and it came off today at the Brabourne Stadium as they put up 74 runs together for the first wicket partnership. Even after losing a few wickets in the middle, Mumbai Indians were getting those crucial runs. Tim David (44*) helped MI get some quick runs in the end as he struck at 209.52. With two fours and four sixes, David’s quickfire cameo took Mumbai Indians to an above par score of 177/6 in 20 overs.
In the chase, Both the opening batsmen, Wriddhiman Saha (55) and Shubman Gill (52) got off to a magnificent start as both the batsmen scored a half-century on the slow pitch. Some clever shots off the bat were frustrating to see for MI bowlers. After a bright opening partnership of 106 runs, it never worked out between batsmen and the pitch. The Gujarat based franchise kept on losing wickets after a good start which tampered with their chances to win the game. Even Pandya and Rahul Tewatia were unfortunately run out at a crucial junction of the game. In the end, GT only managed to reach 172/5 in 20 overs.
There was not much for Mumbai Indians in the bowling department as only two bowlers featured in the wickets section. Murugan Ashwin plucked out two wickets and along with him, Kieron Pollard got one wicket. Talking about bowlers and not to mention Daniel Sams would be a serious crime. Sams had nine runs to defend in the final over which he did vigorously.
For GT, Rashid Khan scalped two wickets in his quota of four overs. Along with him, Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson and Pradeep Sangwan also managed to get one wicket each in the first innings.
Tim David was named Man of the Match for his mighty show in the first inning with the bat. With this victory, Mumbai Indians have four points now but still are at the bottom of the table.
Scorecard:
Mumbai Indians: 177/6, Overs 20, Ishan Kishan 45, Rashid Khan 2/24
Gujarat Titans: 172/5, Overs 20, Wriddhiman Saha 55, Rashid Khan 2/24