‘Ambani ka paisa bhi naa bacha paya’ – Fans abuzz as Gujarat Titans beat Mumbai Indians by 62 runs in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2023

In the penultimate match of the sixteenth season of the Indian Premier League, Gujarat Titans, the defending champions, faced off against Mumbai Indians in an effort to secure a place in the IPL 2023 season finale against Chennai Super Kings. Mumbai Indians defeated Lucknow Super Giants in the eliminator while GT fell to Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier 1.

The toss was won by the Mumbai Indians, who decided to bowl first on the favourable batting surface. The Gujarat Titans sought to take advantage of the circumstance and put in their best effort in setting up a huge target for the Indians to pursue. To provide the groundwork for GT’s middle order to construct a huge total, Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill tried to do so.

Saha, however, was unable to surpass 18 from 16 balls as Shubman Gill assumed the role of the aggressor. 54 runs were scored during the first wicket partnership. Sai Sudarshan joined Gill at the crease, but he was unfazed by the departure of his opening companion.  With the help of seven boundaries and 10 maximums, Gill went on to amass 129 runs off of 60 balls.

Shubman Gill and Mohit Sharma remained the stars for GT

Sai Sudarshan contributed 43 off of 31 before retiring out and handing the ball to Rashid Khan for the last over. As GT amassed a whopping 233 runs in their 20 overs, Hardik Pandya and Rashid Khan batted out the final over with scores of 28 off 13 and 5 off 2, respectively. For MI, Piyush Chawla and Akash Madhwal returned with one wicket apiece in a forgettable batting display.

There was a consistent effort in MI’s batting. However, they could only manage 171 in their 20 overs. Suryakumar Yadav with 61 off 38 remained the top scorer, followed by Tilak Varma with 43 off 14. For GT, Mohit Sharma remained the pick of the bowlers with figures of 5/10 in 2.2 overs. Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan scalped two each while Joshua Little scalped one as GT won by 62 runs.

Next, in the sixteenth edition of the Indian Premier League, the season finale awaits spectators at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. While GT are chasing their second trophy in their second season of participation, the title may have more symbolic significance for CSK. Not only will a fifth title make them the joint-most successful team with MI, this could be the perfect farewell for MS Dhoni who is likely playing in his final IPL.

Here’s how fans reacted: