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Mumbai Indians failed to chase down the target of 197 runs against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Saturday and suffered a defeat by 36 runs.
Gujarat Titans beat Mumbai Indians by 36 runs on Saturday. (Picture Credit: AP)
Gujarat Titans beat Mumbai Indians by 36 runs on Saturday (March 29) to win the ninth match of IPL 2025. The Mumbai-based franchise restricted GT to 196/8 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad after inviting them to bat first but failed to chase down the 197-run target despite having the likes of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya. The defeat by 36 runs on Saturday was MI’s second straight defeat in IPL 2025, and with 0 points from two matches played so far, the five-time champions sit at the No. 9 position in the points table.
MI’s second defeat in a row was a bitter pill to swallow for captain Hardik, who during the post-match presentation admitted that his teammates made basic errors while fielding, and that cost them.
“Tough to put it together; I think in batting and bowling we were 15-20 runs short in both places. We were not professional in the field; we made basic errors, and that cost us 20-25 runs, and in a T20 game, that is quite a lot,” Hardik said.
The 31-year-old cricketer from Baroda, who won the IPL 2022 title with Gujarat Titans, was full of praise for GT openers – Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill – and said they batted brilliantly. Gill (38) and Sudharsan (63) added 78 runs for the first wicket in 6.3 overs on Saturday, and following Gill’s dismissal, Sudharsan joined hands with Jos Buttler (39) to add 51 runs for the second wicket.
“They (GT openers) batted brilliantly, only a couple of deliveries here and there. They were quite exceptional; they didn’t take many chances, they did the right stuff, and they were able to get runs without playing many risky shots. We were doing catch-up since then,” he added.
When asked about MI’s situation in IPL 2025, Hardik said the tournament is still in the early stages. He hopes MI batters will take more responsibility in the upcoming matches.
“At the moment we all need to take responsibility; it’s still early stages. Batters have to come to the party; hopefully they do that soon. On this wicket, they (slower deliveries) were the toughest balls; some were shooting, and some were bouncing. As batters, it becomes difficult. They (GT bowlers) did what I did with the ball.”
MI will next take the field on Monday (March 31). In the third league stage match of IPL 2025, the Mumbai-based franchise will host defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
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