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Gujarat Titans squad - (Source: AFP)
The wait is finally over for the Mumbai Indians as the Hardik Pandya-led team finally bounced back after defeating the Gujarat Titans in a one-sided match at the Narendra Modi Stadium on April 20.
After losing four matches back-to-back against Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, RCB and Punjab Kings, the five-time champions defeated GT by a massive 99 runs.
Gujarat Titans, captained by Shubman Gill, had a very disappointing outing. After this defeat, the Gujarat Titans' batting coach pointed out serious problems in both batting and bowling. He even stated that his team failed to handle pressure, and their weaknesses were evident during the GT vs MI match.
Tilak Varma's century leads MI's comeback
Mumbai Indians returned to winning ways in style with a significant performance by star batter Tilak Varma. Batting first, MI posted a strong total of 199/5, the young batter scored an unbeaten 101 off just 45 balls, registering his maiden IPL century.
His innings came at a crucial time, especially after MI lost three early wickets in the powerplay. Tilak Varma found solid support from Naman Dhir, who contributed 45 runs.
The pair helped rebuild the innings before launching an aggressive assault in the final overs. Gujarat's bowlers struggled badly at the death, conceding 73 runs in the last four overs. Kagiso Rabada stood out for GT with figures of 3/33 at an economy rate of 8.25.
Batting collapse leaves Gujarat Titans exposed
In response, the Gujarat Titans never found momentum. Their innings got off to the worst possible start, with Sai Sudharsan dismissed for a golden duck. The top order failed to handle the pressure, and the team slumped to 45/3 within the powerplay.
Captain Shubman Gill also had an off day, unable to anchor the innings. The middle order, forced to come in early, failed to stabilise the chase. Gujarat's batting lineup eventually collapsed for just 100 runs in 15.5 overs.
Also Read: Gujarat Titans Registers Unwanted Record After Humiliating Loss Vs MI
MI's bowling attack was clinical, with Ashwani Kumar being the star bowler, while Mitchell Santner and Ghazanfar picked up two wickets each. Jasprit Bumrah also chipped in with his first wicket of the tournament.
Matthew Hayden criticises Gujarat Titans' performance
After the match, Gujarat Titans’ batting coach Matthew Hayden did not hold back in his words. He described the batting effort as unacceptable and emphasised that a team with such talent should not lose by such a large margin.
Hayden pointed out that the top-order batters need to spend more time at the crease to prevent exposing the middle order too early. He stressed that losing wickets in the powerplay makes it nearly impossible to chase big totals.
"As a batting coach, I expect our margins to be a lot smaller than 100 (99 runs). That is an unacceptable scorecard for our batting unit. When you look down at our batting lineup, we've got wonderful players who have to be in a better mindset and better position to take their opportunities, and that will be our expectation moving forward. We've got to be just a lot better than where we were today. That was a terrible performance."
"The middle order was undoubtedly exposed today. When they're coming in within six overs (powerplay), you know that you're in deep trouble. The thing about the power players is that you can't win it from there, especially in a run chase, but you can definitely lose it, and we lost it in the power play," he concluded.
Following this defeat, the Gujarat Titans slipped to sixth place on the points table, with three wins and three losses. The Shubman Gill-led team will next face RCB on April 24, 2026, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Also Read: Shubman Gill Leads Gujarat Titans To Shameful IPL Record Vs Mumbai Indians
