Gujarat Titans have qualified for the 2023 IPL final after beating the Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 by 62 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat.
The Titans put in a stunning performance with the bat, scoring 233 runs in the first innings. Shubman Gill had a spectacular 129-run knock (60 balls, seven boundaries, 10 sixes) that opened the floodgates for GT.
Mumbai tried hard with several batters getting a good start but was eventually bowled out with 10 deliveries remaining, scoring 171 runs. Suryakumar Yadav top-scored with 61 runs (38 balls, seven boundaries two maximums).
A rematch against the Chennai Super Kings beckons, as CSK beat Gujarat in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday to solidify their spot in the finals.
Shubman Gill set the ground ablaze with his electric 129-run performance in the first inning that helped the Titans put up a formidable total.
On the Jio Cinema post-match preview, former cricket player and expert Suresh Raina heaped high praise on the young opener, "The calmness we saw. In such a big match, body language is very important. The sixes he hit later in the match, ones we call pick-up shots. He hit one off Kartikeya, and after that, he realised that he can come into the line and just hit pick-up shots. I loved his body language, his self-confidence, self-belief, and he's gotten a habit of playing in big matches. Just look at Virat Kohli, as we saw last year with Jos Buttler. But the performance we saw tonight, whenever we have big games, he will perform as Virat, Rohit, and M.S. Dhoni have."
The Titans are on the verge of retaining their crown as TATA IPL Champions after their win last season in their debut as a franchise.
IPL expert Anil Kumble lauded the continuity of the Gujarat side from last season to this, "This season, they have just continued from where they left off last year. In that sense, credit to Hardik, credit to Ashish, and the rest of the players as well. The players have done really well. The addition of Josh Little, the addition of Noor Ahmed, I think these two have really helped them and the impact player rule as well, with the addition of Sai Sudarshan and Vijay Shankar coming in and doing their respective roles. Mohit Sharma was brilliant in the back-end, he'll take the five-wicket haul, but Suryakumar Yadav's wicket was the critical one", as per Jio Cenima.
Mohit Sharma's bowling has enabled great success for Gujarat all season and he stepped up big today, ending the game with 5/10 figures in just 2.2 overs.
JioCinema IPL expert Parthiv Patel called Sharma one of the best comeback stories of the season, "He bowled really well. We were discussing whether 233 runs can be chased on this wicket. The man didn't even complete his four-over spell but took five wickets. This is a massive day for Mohit Sharma because of the way he was selected this year, last year he was a net bowler with this very team, so getting picked after that is a big deal. We have seen many comeback stories this year and Mohit Sharma's name should be there as well."
