Chandigarh, May 30 (UNI) Rohit Sharma rolled back the years with a masterful 81 off 50 balls, while skipper Hardik Pandya unleashed three towering sixes in the final over, as Mumbai Indians posted a daunting 228/5 against Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2025 Eliminator at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium here on Friday.
Batting first, MI combined elegance and aggression, with former and current captains leading the charge.
Rohit’s innings, laced with 9 fours and 4 sixes, brought up his 47th IPL half-century and took him past 7,000 IPL runs—only the second batter after Virat Kohli to achieve the milestone.
Although Jonny Bairstow fell for 47 to a stunning relay catch initiated by Sai Kishore and completed by Gerald Coetzee, MI never lost their grip on the innings.
Suryakumar Yadav’s brisk 33 off 20 balls (3 sixes) and Tilak Varma’s explosive cameo of 25 off 11 ensured the scoreboard kept ticking. Rohit anchored from one end as the middle order attacked with freedom.
The final five overs witnessed a flurry of boundaries. Varma launched a 93-metre six off Mohammed Siraj before edging the next delivery behind. Then came Hardik’s finishing act.
Facing Coetzee in the 20th over, the MI captain sent one sailing over the sightscreen, followed by two more maximums over deep mid-wicket and wide long-off, sandwiched between a wide, as the over went for 26 runs.
Earlier, Rohit looked in sublime touch, pulling Siraj for successive boundaries before depositing Prasidh Krishna over square leg for six. A dropped chance by Coetzee in the second over proved expensive, as Rohit unfurled sweeps, flicks and lofted drives with authority. His inside-out six off Noor Ahmad brought up MI’s 150, shortly before he reached his fifty.
Bairstow, too, was severe on anything overpitched or short. He tore into Prasidh Krishna in the fourth over, plundering 26 runs with a flurry of fours and two sixes, one flying off the top edge over third man.
GT’s fielding left much to be desired. Kusal Mendis spilled catches offered by both Rohit and Suryakumar, and only Rashid Khan stood out with two sharp efforts in the deep.
Mumbai breached the 200-run mark in the 19th over, with Hardik’s single off Prasidh Krishna. With attacking flair, a few slices of fortune, and relentless intent, MI crossed 200 for the third time this season.
Their imposing 228/5 will take some chasing—even at the high-scoring Mullanpur venue.
