S uryakumar Yadav struck his maiden IPL century (103 not out) to power Mumbai Indians to 218 for 5, their fourth consecutive 200-plus score at Wankhede stadium, against Gujarat Titans here on Friday. While Suryakumar played a blinder of an innings during his 49-ball knock, studded with 11 fours and six sixes, Rohit Sharma (29), Ishan Kishan (31) and Vishnu Vinod (30) chipped in for MI after being put in to bat, which negated the damage caused by Rashid Khan (4/30).
MI skipper Rohit could not convert his start but appeared to be getting back to his usual self at the crease, hitting a few exquisite shots in his 61-run opening stand in the powerplay with Ishan Kishan (31) to lay the platform for a big total.
Rashid, who took his overall wickets tally to 23 to top the bowling chart, jolted MI right after the powerplay to have Rohit caught in the first slip for an 18-ball 29, which included three fours and a couple of sixes. The second breakthrough came four balls later, with the Afghan leg-spinner trapping Kishan LBW.
The Titans entered this game with the knowledge that a victory would not only guarantee them a spot in the playoffs, but also give them two opportunities to reach the final. They relied on their star player, Rashid Khan, to help them achieve this feat. Despite their strong reputation in chasing, the Titans were faced with a difficult situation when their top three batters, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, and Wriddhiman Saha, were dismissed for a combined total of 12 runs. Although Vijay Shankar provided a glimmer of hope with a quick contribution, he was dismissed by Piyush Chawla on his first ball. Chawla, a 34-year-old IPL veteran, is having the best season of his career with 18 wickets to his name. Meanwhile, at the other end, a 29-year-old rookie named Akash Madhwal was having the time of his life. Madhwal joined the tournament due to Mumbai’s struggles with their bowling attack, and he has already shown a keen appetite for challenging situations, bowling at the death and to big hitters with the game on the line. This was only Madhwal’s fourth IPL game and the 26th T20 match of his career.
Rashid Khan played an important role in the Titans’ batting as well, scoring his highest T20 score of 79 off 32 balls with 10 sixes. The team’s total of 103 for 8 in 14 overs was boosted to 191 for 8 in 20 overs, but they still fell short by 27 runs. It must have been frustrating for Rashid to have almost scored a century and taken four wickets, yet still end up on the losing side.
