2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by GT in their IPL 2023 Qualifier 2 match vs MI
The Gujarat Titans (GT) thrashed the Mumbai Indians (MI) by 62 runs in Qualifier 2 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Friday, May 26 in Ahmedabad.
Shubman Gill was the star of the show for the defending champions as he notched up his third century of the season. Mohit Sharma then picked up five wickets in the second innings to perform the last rites for MI, who were unceremoniously dumped out of the competition.
With the win, GT sealed their spot in the IPL 2023 final, where they will take on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday, May 28. Hardik Pandya and Co. will want to finetune their strategies as they try to exact revenge for their Qualifier 1 loss and retain the coveted trophy.
Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by GT in their IPL 2023 Qualifier 2 clash against MI.
#3 Mistake - Hardik Pandya could've adopted different tactics in the bowling powerplay
MI got off to a terrible start in their chase of 234. Nehal Wadhera, promoted to open the batting after Ishan Kishan suffered a concussion, was dismissed in the very first over by Mohammad Shami.
After that, although GT managed to prise out Rohit Sharma and Cameron Green walked off after copping a blow to the arm, they weren't able to build on their early advantage. Mumbai ended up making 72 runs in the first six overs, with the only reason they were behind the eight ball being Tilak Varma's dismissal on the last ball of the powerplay.
Part of that was down to Hardik taking the new ball, once again. The GT skipper sent down two overs that cost 24 runs. Shami bowled a third even though the ball wasn't swinging, with Tilak smashing the experienced pacer for four fours and a six.
Rashid was only introduced in the sixth over, while Josh Little and Noor Ahmad, who could've been dangerous in that phase of the innings, weren't. Gujarat could've taken even more control of the chase had they adopted slightly different tactics in the powerplay.
#2 Masterstroke - Shubman Gill took down MI's most important bowlers
Shubman Gill pulverized the MI bowlers in Qualifier 2, and what stood out was the fact that he took the attack to the opposition's most threatening names.
Piyush Chawla, Mumbai's leading wicket-taker, was hammered for two fours and three sixes in his three overs, which cost a whopping 45 runs. The GT opener also made his intent clear in Akash Madhwal's second over, carting the in-form pacer over the leg-side boundary with astonishing ease.
After Chawla and Madhwal couldn't provide breakthroughs, Rohit had to resort to the likes of Chris Jordan and Cameron Green. That was always going to go only one way, with Gill and the others taking GT to a distinctly above-par total.
#1 Mistake - GT should've retired out B Sai Sudharsan slightly earlier
B Sai Sudharsan returned to the GT side for Qualifier 2. He walked in to bat in the seventh over and put on an excellent 138-run partnership with Gill, making a calm 43 in the process.
Sudharsan was eventually retired out at the end of the penultimate over, with Rashid hammering a boundary off Jordan. It could be argued, though, that the Titans should've made the call sooner.
Sudharsan had weathered the middle-overs phase and was always going to struggle with his power game at the death. As the young southpaw tried to force the pace, Rahul Tewatia, David Miller, Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan and Vijay Shankar watched on from the dugout.
GT eventually did make the right decision, but it was at least a few overs too late.