Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya chatting in IPL 2026. Credit - AP
As Mumbai Indians (MI) won its second game of the season beating the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2026 fixture on Monday at Ahmedabad. As the five-time champions won its first game after losing four in a row, thanks with key players setting up in the absence of Rohit Sharma.
The former MI skipper suffered a hamstring injury during the MI vs RCB, and since then the Mumbai opener has missed two matches for the franchise.
The MI management played Quinton de Kock in place of an injured Rohit Sharma against Punjab Kings. Meanwhile, the talented Danish Malewar was slotted in vs GT. Although MI's top order failed in the previous game, it became the reason for Tilak Varma to pull off a special show. But more on that later.
Rohit Sharma gives captaincy masterclass to Suryakumar
Rohit Sharma, who was sitting in the dugout during the GT vs MI fixture, was seen sharing his shrewdness as a captain. The former MI skipper is one of the most successful captains in IPL history, leading Mumbai to all five titles.
Moreover, Rohit got lucky on his first attempt, winning them their maiden title in 2013. Under his astute leadership, MI have won in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020, alongside the IPL 2013.
Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya were consistently strategising on the field against GT in persuade of defending MI's total of 199/5. As a result, MI were able to restrict the opposition for the lowest score of the season, thanks to Ashwani Kumar's solid four-fer.
However, the broadcaster missed on a catch a viral chat between Rohit and Surya. In a viral video, the former MI skipper was seen chatting with Suryakumar during the Gujarat innings, in the middle of overs.
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Watch: Rohit Sharma shares his brains with Suryakumar Yadav in GT vs MI
From struggle to applause: Tilak Varma show in Ahmedabad
Batting first, MI were struggling at one stage, losing three of their wickets inside the power play. However, two young batters scripted MI's revival from there on. Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma shared a 52-run partnership, which brought the MI innings back on track.
Although Dhir scored a fluent 45, Varma was struggling at 19 runs after facing 22 balls at one stage, but he unleashed that beast in him to translate it into a century in the next 23 balls. The left-handed India batter took on GT's best with ease, as he went behind Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Ashok Sharma in the death overs.
The Varma-Hardik Pandya partnership was key, making all the difference to the MI innings, which eventually ended on 199/5.
Jasprit Bumrah breaks jinx; Ashwani takes MI to win
Defending it, Jasprit Bumrah snapped his first IPL 2026 wicket after going wicketless in five games straight. The Champion bowler set the tone of the innings with Sai Sudharsan’s wicket on the first ball, while Hardik Pandya teamed up from the other end, trapping Jos Buttler in front on the first ball of his spell.
In the middle overs, Ashwani Kumar and the two MI spinners- Mitchell Santner and Allah Ghazanfar - didn’t let the GT batters take a break. The Punjab seamer returned with four wickets while playing his match of the season, while Santner and Ghazanfar bagged two scalps apiece.
Eventually, MI handed GT their biggest defeat in the IPL history.
Can MI still qualify for the playoffs?
After six matches, MI have won just two games and sit in seventh place with four points.
Usually, a team needs at least 14 points to qualify for the playoffs in the IPL, depending on their NRR. Having said that, the five-time champions have revived their campaign on multiple occasions after such a hard start to the season.
Mumbai will next face Chennai Super Kings in the IPL El Clásico at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday (April 23).
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