'Can't drop that many catches...': Ex-India star blasts Gujarat Titans' fielding after IPL 2025 elimination

Gujarat Titans (GT) crashed out of IPL 2025 following their 20-run defeat ro the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the eliminator on Friday. The Shubman Gill-led side ended up conceding 228 runs in 20 overs while bowling first and in reply, got restricted to a total of 208/6.

GT dropped Rohit Sharma twice in the powerplay

One of the main reasons behind GT's defeat was their sloppy fielding. They provided Rohit Sharma with two lifelines within the powerplay itself and ended up dropping sitters. The batter was first dropped by Gerald Coetzee while the second catch was put down by wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis, who was on his IPL debut.

GT's fielding effort was heavily criticzed by former India cricketer Robin Uthappa who stated that a team cannot expect to win trophies if they drop so many catches. He also questioned Gill's move of using pacer Prasidh Krishna in the powerplay, despite the pacer's success in the middle overs in the ongoing IPL season.

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“GT’s strategy was more reactive than proactive. Using Prasidh in the powerplay – despite his success in middle overs – was a misstep. His first over was expensive, and they failed to course-correct,” Uthappa said on JioStar.

“The 26-run and 22-run overs proved costly. On top of that, their fielding let them down. You can't drop that many catches and expect to win a championship,” he added.

Though Prasidh gave a poor bowling performance against MI and ended up conceding 53 runs in his quota of four overs, he had a terrific season overall and took 25 wickets in 15 matches. He is also the current holder of the Purple Cap.

One of the main catalysts of MI's victory was Rohit Sharma, who played a sensational knock of 81 runs from 50 deliveries and guided the Mumbai-based franchise to a huge total. Uthappa praised Rohit for batting sensibly and for building important partnerships.

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“After the early drop, Rohit flirted with danger briefly but quickly recognised the need to take control. He shifted gears, played responsibly, found the gaps, and built key partnerships. His composure stood out," Uthappa stated.

“When players like Rohit, Dhoni, or Kohli are at the crease, the pressure is on everyone else. Sai Sudharsan is starting to reach that level too,” Uthappa concluded.

MI will now be facing-off against the Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2 on June 1 at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad. The winner of the clash will go up against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final on June 3.