Despite Pandya's late heroics, Mumbai Indians fell short of their target of 169 runs by 6 runs in their opening match of the tournament.
The Mumbai Indians suffered a defeat in their opening match of the Indian Premier League for the 12th consecutive year. Facing off against the Gujarat Titans on Sunday, 24 March, Mumbai fell short in their chase of 169 runs at the Narendra Madi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Hardik Pandya's team struggled to score 40 runs in the final 5 overs of the match, allowing the Gujarat side to stage a remarkable comeback with their bowling performance in the second innings.
Shubman Gill and the experienced Wriddhiman Saha provided a strong start for the Gujarat Titans after being sent to bat first against the Mumbai Indians. Despite the initial onslaught by the opening pair of Hardik Pandya and Azmatullah Omarzai, Jasprit Bumrah managed to halt the momentum of the Gujarat Titans. The challenging pitch conditions made it difficult for the batsmen to score freely against the world's best T20I pacer, resulting in a struggle for runs throughout the innings.
Batting at No.3, Sai Sudharsan found it tough to accelerate during the middle overs due to the unpredictable nature of the pitch, scoring 45 runs off 39 balls at a strike rate of 115.38. Despite possessing a deep batting lineup, the Gujarat Titans' players failed to adopt an aggressive approach, likely due to the challenging pitch conditions.
Mumbai Indians were boosted by impressive performances from Rohit Sharma and Dewald Brevis at the crease. Sharma scored 43 runs off 29 balls, while Brevis, although starting strong, managed to score 46 runs off 38 deliveries before getting out to Mohit Sharma in the 16th over.
Despite the strong start, Mumbai Indians found themselves struggling to accelerate their scoring rate in the final 7 overs of the match. Following the departure of Rohit Sharma, Tim David and Tilak Varma adopted a more cautious approach against the formidable Rashid Khan.
The decision to send Hardik Pandya in at No. 7, after previously batting at No. 4, raised some eyebrows during the match. Pandya came to the crease with Mumbai needing 25 runs off 12 balls. He injected some much-needed momentum into the innings by hitting a six and a four in the first two balls of the final over. However, his aggressive approach ultimately led to his dismissal as he was caught at long on while attempting a third consecutive big shot.
Despite Pandya's late heroics, Mumbai Indians fell short of their target of 169 runs by 6 runs in their opening match of the tournament.
Also read| MI vs GT IPL 2024: Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya gets booed at Ahmedabad stadium, video goes viral
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 "GT vs MI IPL 2024: Sai Sudarshan, Mohit Sharma shine as Gujarat Titans clinch 6-run win over Mumbai Indians")
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