The Gujarat Titans came out on top against the Mumbai Indians on Sunday, winning a thriller in Ahmedabad by six runs. Shubhman Gill made his debut as captain of the Titans and was put into bat by the Indian who chose to field first.
Gill got his team off to a good start with a quick-fire 31 off just 22 balls, which included 3 four and a six. Sai Sudarshan top scored for Gujarat with 45 runs, while Azmatullah Omarzai and Rashid Khan had cameos of 17 and 22 respectively. In the end, the Titans amassed a total of 168 for the loss of six wickets in their 20 overs.
Jasprit Bumrah was sensational with the ball for Mumbai, collecting three wickets for just 14 runs in his four overs. His bowling in the final overs in particular was exceptional, firing in his express yorkers to keep the batsmen at bay. Gujarat definitely left some runs on the board, only managing to score 43 runs off the last five overs with seven wickets in hand.
The Mumbai Indians lost their first wicket without a run on the board after Ishan Kishan got out for a duck. He nicked an Azmatullah Omarzai delivery back to keeper Wriddhiman Saha on just the fourth ball of the innings. Omarzai had tested Kishan with inswingers in the previous few deliveries before getting one to move away from the batter.
Naman Dhir then entered and began with a flurry of boundaries, to put the pressure back on the opponents. He was able to score 20 off just 10 deliveries but only lasted only 13 minutes in the middle. Having already hit three fours and a six, Dhir was caught leg before by Omarzai. He opted for a review but the decision was upheld.
In the meantime, Rohit Sharma who had been at the other end, had scored 43 off just 29 balls to put his team in a solid position. He couldn’t keep it going though as Sai Kishore trapped Sharma to bring his team back into the contest.
Dewald Brevis tried to hold the innings together with a gutsy 46 off 38 balls but fell caught and bowled to Mohit Sharma. The South African was impressive, striking sixes off Rashid Khan, Spencer Johnson and Sai Kishore as Mumbai inched closer to the target of 169.
It was all set up perfectly for skipper Hardik Pandya to guide his team home from there. He came out to bat full of confidence as MI needed 19 off the last over. Umesh Yadav’s first ball was off-pace and short and Pandya was able to smash it over cover- point in signature style for six. The second ball was again off the mark by Yadav and was slashed away for four through cover point. With the match in the balance Umesh went for a faster short ball that cramped Hardik for room. The ball ballooned up and was caught at long-on.
The Titans were able to hold on from there, winning by 6 runs in a game that they looked like losing midway through the Mumbai innings. They start off their IPL campaign with a win and currently sit in fourth place based on net run rate.
Other teams to have won their opener this season are the Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals and the Punjab Kings. Below you can find the standings in the tournament after each team has played one match.
| Team | Wins | Losses | Net Run Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rajasthan Royals | 1 | 0 | +1.000 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 1 | 0 | +0.779 |
| Punjab Kings | 1 | 0 | +0.445 |
| Gujarat Titans | 1 | 0 | +0.300 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 1 | 0 | +0.200 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 0 | 1 | -0.200 |
| Mumbai Indians | 0 | 1 | -0.300 |
| Deccan Chargers | 0 | 1 | -0.445 |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 0 | 1 | -0.779 |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 0 | 1 | -1.000 |
Next up for the Titans will be the Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday night. The Mumbai Indians will be looking to get their first win against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday.
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