Gujarat Titans overcame two rain interruptions and a fighting Mumbai Indians to register a dramatic three-wicket win under Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method to go on top of the IPL points table here on Tuesday.
Chasing a below-par 156, the Titans were guilty of an ordinary start which saw them lagging behind the DLS par-score when the rain impeded the game for the first time.
But eventually they managed to reach the revised target of 147 off the last ball of the match which was reduced to 19 overs. The former champions now have 16 points, same as Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but they are perched atop the table on account of better net run rate -- +0.79 against +0.48.
However, GT had to brave a second rain interruption close to midnight. On that occasion, they were 132 for six in 18 overs, needing another 24 off 12 balls.
The break resulted in the target being revised to 147, and when the play resumed at 12.30 GT needed to score 15 runs in one over.
Rahul Tewatia (11 not out) hit the first ball off Deepak Chahar for a four and Gerald Coetzee (12) hit the third for a six, but the bowler overstepped on the next delivery.
Even though Chahar dismissed Coetzee and brought down the equation to one run off the final ball, Arshad Khan and Tewatia scrambled for a quick single to record a memorable win for the Titans.
"Lot of emotions. Most of them were frustrating because at one point, we were ahead. It's always good to have a W (beside team's name). The game plans were different in the power play. There was wind and rain, and it felt like a Test match for the first four or five overs," said Gill during the post-match presentation.
Before the break, Jasprit Bumrah (2/19) and Trent Boult (2/22) delivered a fast bowling masterclass to bring Mumbai Indians back into the contest.
Mumbai Indians make early inroads through their pace trio
Unfazed by their below-par 155/8 and knowing that GT were ahead in terms of par score after the first break, MI struck back hard as Bumrah removed Shubman Gill (43) and Shahrukh Khan (6) in quick succession.
Boult accounted for the dangerous Sherfane Rutherford (28) while concussion substitute Ashwani Kumar dismissed Rashid Khan (2) to turn the game on its head.
But it was the dismissal of GT skipper Gill, who was cleaned up by Bumrah with a nip-backer, saw the visitors’ fight petering out even though the target was well within their reach.
The contest also marked the first-ever instance in this IPL season when none of GT’s top three batters — B Sai Sudharsan (5), Jos Buttler (30) and Gill (43) — scored a fifty.
A pivotal moment had earlier arrived in the 12th over when Gill, batting on 35, mistimed one horribly off Ashwani which went high in the air, but the ball popped out of Tilak Varma’s hands who came running in from long-on.
But Ashwani struck on the next ball getting Buttler, who hit three fours and a six to make 30 off 27 balls, caught behind.
MI had also made the early running through Bumrah as the ace pacer delivered two measly overs for six runs in the power play.
Boult also kept a tight leash after striking in the second over when he found an edge off Sudharsan’s (5) bat, forcing GT batting mainstays Gill and Buttler to see through the initial overs.
A cautious approach meant GT managed only 29/1 in the power play and they were behind the DLS required score as it began to drizzle along with heavy wind. But the momentum changed when Buttler smacked two fours off Chahar in the seventh over.
Mumbai skipper Hardik Pandya bowled 11 deliveries while completing the eighth over, giving away a total of 18 runs which included a four and a six. Will Jacks was hit for 15 runs in the 13th over, as GT gained some momentum.
Gujarat recovered from early fielding howlers while spin ace Rashid Khan (1/21) rediscovered his mojo to restrict Mumbai Indians to a below-par 155/8.
As many as three dropped catches in the power play notwithstanding, Gujarat fought back through their spinners Rashid and R Sai Kishore (2/34) to grab control of the game in which Mumbai Indians crumbled against pressure.
Jacks, who was dropped twice on 0 and 29, struck a 35-ball 53 (5x4s, 3x6s) while Suryakumar Yadav made a brisk 34 but the rest of the MI batters couldn't respond to the challenge.
