Gujarat Titans Outshine Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023 Qualifier

 Gujarat Titans Outshine Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023 Qualifier 

Introduction:

In a highly anticipated clash between the Gujarat Titans and the Mumbai Indians, the former emerged victorious in the Qualifier 2 match of the IPL 2023 tournament. The thrilling encounter took place on May 26, 2023, at a neutral venue. With both teams eyeing a spot in the grand finale, the Gujarat Titans displayed exceptional skill and determination, overpowering the formidable Mumbai Indians to secure their place in the ultimate showdown. Let us delve into the details of this enthralling T20 contest.

Match Summary: Winning the toss, the Mumbai Indians elected to bat first, seeking to set a challenging target for the Gujarat Titans. However, they faced early setbacks as the Gujarat Titans' bowling attack exhibited remarkable precision, keeping the opposition batsmen in check. The Mumbai Indians struggled to build substantial partnerships and lost wickets at regular intervals. Despite notable contributions from a few batsmen, including a valiant knock by their captain, the team could only manage a modest total.

Chasing a target of X runs, the Gujarat Titans started their innings with confidence. The opening batsmen demonstrated commendable composure, constructing a solid foundation for the chase. As the innings progressed, the Titans showcased their depth in batting, with crucial contributions from the middle order. The Mumbai Indians' bowlers fought hard to create breakthroughs, but the Titans' batsmen maintained their composure and steered their team towards victory.

Key Performances: For the Gujarat Titans, both their bowlers and batsmen made noteworthy contributions to secure the win. The Titans' bowling unit, led by their seasoned campaigners, executed their plans meticulously, stifling the Mumbai Indians' batting lineup. With consistent line and length, they restricted the opposition's scoring opportunities, applying pressure throughout the innings.

In the batting department, the Gujarat Titans witnessed a collective effort. The openers laid a strong foundation, anchoring the chase with their well-constructed partnership. The middle-order batsmen showcased their prowess, playing crucial cameos to maintain the required run rate. The Titans' captain played a captain's knock, leading from the front and ensuring his team's victory.

The Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, faced a few notable individual performances amidst a challenging day. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, their captain displayed resilience, leading the charge and amassing a respectable total. In the bowling department, some bowlers showcased their skills, claiming important wickets, albeit without being able to defend the target successfully.

Conclusion: The Gujarat Titans' victory in the IPL 2023 Qualifier 2 match against the Mumbai Indians showcased their exceptional skills and resolve. They put up a commendable performance with both bat and ball, overpowering the Mumbai Indians to secure their spot in the grand finale. The Gujarat Titans' teamwork, coupled with their ability to handle pressure situations, played a crucial role in their triumph. As they prepare to face the formidable opponents in the final, cricket enthusiasts eagerly await an enthralling clash between the two deserving contenders for the IPL 2023 title.

Commentary

12:37 AM

Then there were two! Right then, we are done with Qualifier 2 and only the Final remains. In a fascinating tournament, we will finish just as we started as Chennai take on Gujarat in the grand finale on Sunday, the 28th of May in Ahmedabad. The very first match of the season was between these two teams and at the same venue as well, a fitting ending to the season perhaps. That game will begin at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT) but our build-up, as usual, will begin a lot sooner. Do join us then. Till then, take care and goodbye!

12:36 AM

Shubman Gill is the Player of the Match for his stunning century. He says that for him it is all about playing ball-to-ball and keeping it over-to-over. Claims that when hit 3 sixes in an over, he realized that it was his day and he needed to make the most of it. Mentions that he looks to keep practicing and grow as a cricketer, player, and batter. Reckons that it helps when you come from a good international season and says that once he starts, he can keep going. Feels that things changed after the West Indies tour and he got injured, he decided to make some technical changes leading up to this tournament after the T20 World Cup. Informs that expectations are a factor when you are outside the ropes but when on the ground, he gives his 100% and tries to keep the intensity throughout. Ends by saying that this is his best inning in the Indian T20 League so far.

12:28 AM

Gujarat's skipper, Hardik Pandya says that a lot of hard work has gone behind their win and it is just a reflection of that. Mentions that the clarity Shubman Gill has this year is amazing and the knock he played in this game is one of the finest he has ever seen and goes on to say that Gill is a superstar and will do big things for the franchise and for India as well. Adds that his job is simple and that is to keep the mindset of the boys positive. Says that when things are not going along well, Rashid Khan comes in and does the job superbly. Mentions that irrelevant of the result, they just want to play good cricket and is excited and happy for the boys.

12:26 AM

The Presentation ceremony...

12:26 AM

Mohit Sharma, who had an outstanding bowling performance, is up for a chat. He says that he is a little lucky to get those wickets. Mentions that it was skidding on nicely and looked like the opponents were on course at one stage with the way Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav batted so they were worried. Explains that they didn’t want to experiment in front of Suryakumar Yadav and bowl length balls even if they would go for sixes. Adds that after Suryakumar Yadav got out they were more confident of winning. Ends by saying that they were certain of a final appearance only after the final wicket fell.

12:17 AM

Rohit Sharma, the captain of Mumbai says it was a great total by Gujarat and adds that Shubman Gill batted really well. Reckons that they conceded 20-25 runs extra but with their batting lineup, they were quite positive. States that Cameron Green and Suryakumar Yadav batted well in the middle but they lost their way in the run chase. Claims that they had a chat about giving it a good crack and being positive but the Powerplay didn’t go well as they lost a couple of wickets. Goes on to say that they could not get the momentum going and Suryakumar Yadav did well to keep them in the game but needed someone to take it deep. Credits Gujarat for playing well. When asked about Ishan Kishan, he says that he had a concussion and last-minute changes are not ideal but as a team, they need to adapt to different conditions. Mentions that he does not want to look at that and they didn’t play well enough to win the game. Tells that there have been positives like playing a Qualifier and coming third in a tournament along with the batting. Adds that the young players have done well and they can take it into next season to see what they can do with the squad. Informs that all the bowling teams have been challenged and they had a great bowling performance last time around but all credit to Shubman Gill and he is hoping that he can continue that form. Ends by saying that Tim had a role through the season and where he is going to bat but Vishnu got a chance as he is a good player so they do not want to look at any judgment as wrong as Gujarat came on top.

12:12 AM

Earlier in the game, Rohit Sharma won the toss and put Gujarat in to bat on a wicket that was under the covers for some time. Gujarat had a steady start with the bat but lost Wriddhiman Saha just after the Powerplay. It was then a sensational 138-run stand between Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan that put the hosts in command. Gill went on to score a third hundred in the last four innings and ended up getting 129 runs, the highest individual score of this season. Sudharsan batted well too and Hardik Pandya finished the innings off with a bit of a flourish. For Mumbai, there wasn't much to talk about their bowling apart from Jason Behrendorff who bowled a very economical spell and Kumar Kartikeya too did well in the two overs he bowled. Coming to the chase, it was up and down for the first half but in the second half of the chase, Gujarat had the bowling capabilities and were able to completely derail the Mumbai innings.

12:07 AM

Mumbai's brilliant run comes to an end as they fall well short in Qualifier 2 and miss out on the grand finale. Coming in to chase 234 runs, Mumbai had a few injury problems and were forced to use the Impact Player, Nehal Wadhera at the top of the order. Neither he nor Rohit Sharma got going and even Cameron Green got a blow around the left elbow which forced him to retire hurt. Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav did build up a solid stand but just when Varma was at his best, he got out. Yadav kept going from one end and Green came back on to bat and supported Yadav for a bit. Once the ball was changed though, Mumbai started to self-destruct with the bat. They went from 155 for 5 to 162 for 9 in a jiffy and in the end, they just ran completely out of steam with the likes of Tim David and Vishnu Vinod unable to fire.

11:59 PM

BACK-TO-BACK FINALS FOR GUJARAT! What an impressive performance from the home team and Gujarat have done to Mumbai what Mumbai did to Lucknow and have just cruised to victory here. Gujarat had a mammoth total on the board thanks to a master class from Shubman Gill up top. And then, Mohammad Shami gave them the perfect start with the ball with a couple of early wickets. They did get high for a few runs from thereon but on the final ball of the Powerplay, Rashid Khan got rid of Tilak Varma who was spitting fire till then. They didn't pick up many wickets in the middle phase but once Joshua Little and Mohit Sharma came on to bowl, things changed. Little created pressure and got a wicket but it was Sharma who bowled a brilliant spell and ended up with five wickets, including the prized wicket of a well-set Suryakumar Yadav. In the end, Gujarat just had too many runs on the board and won the game comfortably.

Venue Scoring Pattern

• AVG 1ST INNINGS

  170

  AVG 2ND INNINGS

  155
• HIGHEST TOTAL

  233-3

  By GT vs MI

  LOWEST TOTAL

  102-10

  By SRH vs RR
• MATCHES WON

  Batting First 13 Won

   Bowling First 13 Won

  48.15%51.85%
• HIGHEST CHASED

  207

  By KKR vs GT

• HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL SCORE

  Shubman Gill

  129 Runs
• BEST BOWLING FIGURES

  Mohit Sharma

  5 Wickets
• PACE

  65.41%

  Percentage of wickets ta

  SPIN

  34.59%

  Percentage of wickets taken by spinners