Mumbai Indians, led by Hardik Pandya, secured a hard-fought 20-run win over Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2025 Eliminator in Mullanpur on Friday. Despite the victory, the five-time champions had to dig deep to overcome the spirited 2022 title winners and book a spot in Qualifier 2 against Punjab Kings.
GT remained in the hunt throughout their chase of a massive 229-run target, even after losing skipper Shubman Gill in the first over. Sai Sudharsan (80) and Washington Sundar (48) kept Gujarat in contention with an 84-run third-wicket stand, pushing Mumbai to the edge.
Jayawardene’s instructions dismissed by Bumrah
As the game intensified, Mumbai Indians’ head coach Mahela Jayawardene grew visibly anxious. He, along with batting coach Kieron Pollard, attempted to communicate strategic instructions to Jasprit Bumrah, who was fielding near the boundary.
However, Bumrah made it clear he didn’t need directions at that moment. Instead, he signaled to Jayawardene to relax. On the Hindi broadcast, commentator Jatin Sapru described the moment, saying,
“Bumrah is basically saying ‘Relax, I know my job well. I am here. You stay calm and just give me a chance.'”
Bumrah displayed similar gestures earlier in the game when he interacted with Hardik Pandya, during Gujarat’s aggressive run-chase.
Game-changer over from Bumrah
Hardik Pandya brought Bumrah back for his third over in the 14th of the innings, as MI desperately sought a breakthrough. The star pacer delivered under pressure, bowling a perfect yorker to dismiss Washington Sundar, breaking the dangerous partnership.
Bumrah’s celebration reflected the importance of that wicket. Shortly afterward, Sudharsan also fell, and Gujarat Titans eventually collapsed to a 20-run defeat, ending their IPL 2025 campaign.
‘Bumrah is ridiculous’: Tom Moody hails MI pacer
In a match that saw over 430 runs scored, Bumrah emerged as the most impactful bowler. He finished with a remarkable spell of 1/27 from his four overs.
Former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody praised Bumrah on ESPNCricinfo TimeOut, saying,
“The 24 balls he bowls is such a threat. It is not impossible, but it is so difficult to get big overs against him. You are really playing 20 overs versus 16. He is so far ahead of the rest, it is ridiculous.”
Moody further added, “With Bumrah, he’s got that genuine wicket-taking ability. He’s pure class. The yorker he bowled, you just cannot bowl a better ball than that. That is the absolute perfect leg-stump yorker that has gone between Sundar’s legs. To a batter that is in and set, you quite often see that with a new batter, but this is a batter that is in. He’s going at 200 strike rate.”
Bumrah leads MI’s bowling chart in IPL 2025
Jasprit Bumrah has taken 18 wickets in the ongoing IPL 2025 season and continues to be Mumbai Indians’ top-performing bowler. His calm temperament and match-winning spells remain crucial as MI now head into Qualifier 2 against Punjab Kings.
