Could Rohit Sharma's 81 Lead MI to Victory Over GT in IPL 2025?

New Chandigarh, May 30 (NationPress) The opening duo of Rohit Sharma (81) and Jonny Bairstow (47) established a formidable foundation for the Mumbai Indians, who concluded their innings at a remarkable total of 228/5 in 20 overs against the Gujarat Titans during the Eliminator match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 held at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Friday.

The former MI captain shone brightly against the GT bowling lineup, becoming the second player in IPL history to achieve this milestone, following Virat Kohli. Unfortunately for Gujarat, they will likely lament the opportunities they squandered throughout the match.

Rohit’s innings, characterized by his raw power and ease in clearing the boundary, featured an impressive nine boundaries and four sixes. However, it wasn't without its flaws, as the veteran player was dropped on two occasions, marking a disappointing day for the 2022 champions in the field.

His first reprieve occurred when he had just three runs on the board; a pull shot directed towards Gerald Coetzee was fumbled by the South African player. In the following over, Rohit demonstrated why Gujarat could not afford to let him off the hook by hitting Mohammed Siraj for consecutive boundaries. Siraj nearly claimed his wicket as well, but Kusal Mendis failed to hold onto an outside edge behind the stumps.

Bairstow, making his MI debut, showed no hesitation in taking on the bowlers, hammering Prasidh Krishna for 26 runs in the fourth over, which included three sixes. Their partnership helped MI achieve their highest power-play total in IPL playoffs history, scoring 79/0 within the first six overs.

After dropping two catches earlier, Sai Sudharsan executed a remarkable catch with quick reflexes to deny Bairstow his half-century. While attempting a reverse sweep off Sai Kishore, Bairstow almost found the gap, but Sudharsan dived left and managed to keep the ball airborne, allowing Coetzee to complete the catch.

Rohit soon notched up his fourth half-century of the season in just 28 balls.

MI’s standout performer of the season, Suryakumar Yadav (33), was aggressive from the outset, striking Coetzee for back-to-back sixes over the fine leg and backward point. Gujarat’s missed chances continued as Mendis again failed to hold onto a catch that could have dismissed Yadav.

The 34-year-old extended his record of 15 consecutive scores of 25 or more in a men’s T20 competition before misplaying a sweep shot off a full toss by Sai Kishore, leading to his dismissal at the boundary by Washington Sundar.

Rohit and Tilak Varma (25) both hit sixes off Coetzee before Rohit’s innings concluded. A slower ball from Prasidh Krishna resulted in a top edge that was safely caught in the mid-wicket area by Rashid.

Despite conceding 53 runs in his four-over spell, Prasidh managed to claim the wicket of Naman Dhir (9) in the penultimate over as MI surpassed the 200-run mark.

Captain Hardik Pandya (22) struck Coetzee for three sixes in the final over, leading MI to an impressive total of 228/5.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians 228/5 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 81, Jonny Bairstow 47, Suryakumar Yadav 33; Sai Kishore 2-42, Prasidh Krishna 2-53) against Gujarat Titans