Daniel Sams holds nerve to fashion 5-run win for wooden spooners as table-toppers Titans choke in the chase
Australian Daniel Sams bowled three dot balls in the last over to concede just three runs, and give Mumbai Indians, who were under the p ump during the first half of the chase, a come-from-behind five-run win over Gujarat Titans, at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Friday. Apart from the three dots, Sams' over contained the run out of Rahul Tewatia and a tough, missed catch of Rashid Khan.
A stroke-filled 106-run opening wicket partnership between Wriddhiman Saha, who made 55 (40b; 6x4, 2x6) and Shubman Gill (52; 36b; 6x4, 2x6) had set the Titans on course in the chase. Both were dismissed by leg spinner Murugan Ashwin in the 13th over.
1/10:Mumbai beat Gujarat
<p>Daniel Sams defended nine off the last over to give Mumbai Indians their second win of the season as they edged out Gujarat Titans by five runs on Friday. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
2/10:Hardik Pandya
<p>Chasing 178 for victory, Gujarat were sailing along at 156/3 when skipper Hardik Pandya was run out and Mumbai seized the moment to make a comeback. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
3/10:Tim David
<p>Earlier, Tim David's unbeaten 44 off 21 balls guided Mumbai to 177/6 after Gujarat bowlers pulled things back in the middle overs. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
4/10:MI's flying start
<p>Rohit Sharma, who made 43 off 28 balls, and Ishan Kishan, who top-scored with 45, gave the team a flying start with a 74-run opening stand after they were asked to bat first. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
5/10:Rohit Sharma
<p>Rohit came alive with the bat as he smashed Alzarri Joseph for two successive fours and a six in the second over to signal his aggressive intent. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
6/10:Rashid Khan
<p>Rohit looked set to get his first fifty of this season but Rashid Khan trapped him lbw in a decision that was turned down by the on-field umpire before being successfully reviewed. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
7/10:Ishan Kishan
<p>Kishan kept up the attack with Suryakumar Yadav who failed to keep up his start when he perished for 13. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
8/10:Kieron Pollard
<p>Kishan fell to Alzarri Joseph and Rashid sent back a struggling Kieron Pollard, for four, as Mumbai began to falter. (BCCI/IPL/PTI Photo)</p>
9/10:Late blitz
<p>But David then took the attack to the opposition with four sixes in his late blitz to boost the total. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>
10/10:Murugan Ashwin
<p>Gujarat oopeners Wriddhiman Saha (55) and Shubman Gill (52) added 106 but Murugan Ashwin sent the duo back to the dugout in his fourth over. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>However, captain Hardik Pandya's run out in the 18th over gave the five-time IPL champions MI a window of opportunity. Titans still top the table with 16 points from 11 matches while Mumbai Indians have four points from 10 matches.
Earlier, Tim David's late assault of 4 4 runs in 21 balls (2x4, 4x6) guided Mumbai to 177/6 in 20 overs.
Inviting his former team to bat after winning the toss, Pandya and his bowlers were at the receiving end of a short but belligerent innings from Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma, who was elegance personified and looked in full flow.
Even when runs eluded him, Sharma always believed that he was one innings away from being back to form, and showed glimpses of his class against the Titans pacers.
He began with a lofted cover drive off Alzarri Joseph before scooping Shami, the pacer with the maximum wickets in the Powerplay this season, for a six over fine leg.
David's sensational assault brought 57 runs in the last five overs, which in the final analysis, was the telling blow.
