Mumbai Indians (MI) rode on Rohit Sharma's robust 81 to thrash Gujarat Titans (GT) in a thrilling IPL 2025 Eliminator clash held at the New PCA stadium in Mullanpur on May 30. This stunning win helped MI set up Qualifier 2 clash against Punjab Kings (PBKS) for a spot in final with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Rohit Sharma's 81 off 50 helped MI post a colossal total of 228/5. In reply, GT were limited to 208/6 despite Sai Sudharsan's fighting 80-run knock.
Electing to bat first, the Mumbai Indians started strong, with Rohit Sharma and Jonny Bairstow quickly taking control of the game against Gujarat. Bairstow, who replaced Ryan Rickelton in the playing XI, showed no signs of it being his maiden IPL 2025 match, smashing a quickfire 47 runs off just 22 balls. After his departure, Rohit Sharma took charge. The India ODI captain continued the assault, scoring 81 runs off 50 balls, an innings that effectively set the tone for the rest of the match.
Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya maintained the momentum, helping Mumbai post a formidable total of 228 runs on the board. This impressive score stands as the second-highest in IPL playoffs history.
Despite the formidable form of Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, the Gujarat Titans faced an uphill battle in chasing down the target. Their hopes took an early hit when Trent Boult dismissed Gill in the very first over, a blow that was expected to dampen Gujarat's spirits. However, Sudharsan had other ideas. The young batsman blazed his way to 80 runs off just 49 balls before Richard Gleeson eventually claimed his wicket. Nonetheless, Sudharsan etched his name in the record books, becoming the youngest cricketer to score over 600 runs in a single season. Washington Sundar provided valuable support with a quickfire 48 runs off 24 balls, but the Mumbai Indians ultimately mounted a scintillating comeback. Once captain Hardik Pandya brought Jasprit Bumrah into the attack, the tide turned decisively against Gujarat, and with Sudharsan's departure, there was no way back for them.