On May 12, the Gujarat Titans were defeated by the Mumbai Indians by 27 runs at Wankhede Stadium. As a consequence, MI rose to third in the IPL rankings, while GT remained at the top.
MI batted first and ended with a dominant total of 218/5 after 20 overs. Suryakumar Yadav led the batting unit with a century (103* runs off 49 balls). Yadav had a strike rate of 210.20 throughout his fast innings, hitting 11 boundaries and 6 sixes.
Suryakumar Yadav smashed the Gujarat bowlers all over the ground with his 360-degree variety of shots. Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, Nehal Wadhera, and Vishnu Vinod made quick appearances to show their support for SKY.
Rashid Khan shined with the ball for the Titans, conceding only 30 runs in four overs while scooping up four wickets. Later, the Afghanistan player did the same with the bat.
When GT batted, they were in deep trouble at 103/8 in 13.2 overs. The only GT batsmen to offer some resistance to the hosts were David Miller (41 runs off 26 balls) and Rashid Khan (79* runs off 32 balls).
Rashid’s knock increased the GT total’s respectability. The all-rounder’s stunning innings featured three boundaries and ten sixes. They finished with a total of 191/8 after 20 overs.
Let us look at three positives for Gujarat Titans from their loss to Mumbai Indians.
1) Spectacular all-round show from Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan was the only GT bowler to hold off the Mumbai Indians batters. In his four overs, the leg-spinner allowed only 30 runs at a 7.50 economy rate. He also took important wickets of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nehal Wadhera, and Tim David. Mumbai might have reached a total of 235-240 in their 20 overs if it was not for him.
In the 2nd innings, Gujarat crumbled to 103/8 in the 14th over. The visitors seemed to lose by roughly 100 runs, which would have a negative impact on their net-run-rate.
However, Rashid Khan hit an undefeated half-century off 32 balls with a strike rate of 246.88. With his current form, if he had another 10 balls, he could have not only accomplished his hundred but also led his side to victory. Regardless, he reduced his team’s losing margin from a three-figure score to only 27 runs.
2) Fine cameo from Vijay Shankar
Vijay Shankar (29 runs off 14 balls) provided an aggressive cameo for his team as wickets continued to fall around him. He had a strike rate of 207.14 .
He would be unhappy with himself for misreading a Piyush Chawla googly, which took him out clean bowled. If he had continued to kick for a big score, the outcome of the game may have been different.
Shankar has scored 234 runs in 10 matches this year, with an average of 39 and a strike rate of 163.64. He will be eager to maintain his hot streak, not just to assist his team to successfully retain the IPL championship, but also to spark hopes of a return to the Indian side.
3) Solid innings from David Miller
David Miller (41 runs off 26 balls) hit four boundaries and two sixes in an incredible knock with a strike rate of 157.69. Just like Shankar, would be upset that his aggressive innings did not result in a huge score for his team.
Miller has scored 242 runs in 11 matches this year, with an excellent average of 48.40 and a strike rate of 151.25. Furthermore, he has stayed undefeated on five occasions this year, indicating that he frequently finishes games or innings for Gujarat Titans.
Miller will seek to maintain his incredible batting run and help Gujarat Titans defend their IPL title.
