The Gujarat Titans triumphed over the Mumbai Indians by a slender margin of six runs, marking a memorable victory at the grand stage of Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.
Rohit Sharma's valiant knock of 43 runs, coupled with Dewald Brevis' impressive 46, propelled Mumbai's chase towards Gujarat's target of 169. However, Gujarat's resilient bowling attack, led by Mohit Sharma and Spencer Johnson, staged a remarkable comeback, restricting Mumbai to 162-9.
The decision to replace Rohit with Pandya as captain had sparked outrage among millions of Mumbai fans, who had witnessed Pandya's IPL debut under Rohit's leadership and later saw him guide Gujarat to victory in the 2022 season at the same venue.
Amidst a roaring crowd of nearly 90,000 spectators at the colossal stadium, it was Gujarat's new captain, Shubman Gill, who emerged victorious, thwarting Pandya's much-anticipated homecoming.
Reflecting on the match, Pandya expressed disappointment over losing momentum but acknowledged the vibrant atmosphere of the stadium. Despite his efforts to revive Mumbai's chase with aggressive strokes, Pandya's dismissal in the final over sealed their fate.
Gujarat's victory was propelled by stellar performances from key players like Sai Sudarshan and David Miller, with Jasprit Bumrah leading Mumbai's bowling attack with finesse. However, it was not enough to thwart Gujarat's determined pursuit.
In another riveting encounter earlier in the day, Sanju Samson showcased his batting prowess, steering the Rajasthan Royals to a commanding 20-run victory over the Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur. Samson's unbeaten 82 set the stage for Rajasthan's imposing total of 193-4, while Trent Boult's early breakthroughs rattled Lucknow's batting lineup.
Despite a spirited effort from Lucknow's skipper KL Rahul and a resilient innings from Nicholas Pooran, Rajasthan's bowling attack, led by Sandeep Sharma, proved too strong to overcome.
The Rajasthan innings faced a momentary interruption when a cable of the spidercam broke, causing a brief halt in proceedings, but it failed to dampen the spirit of the game as Rajasthan emerged triumphant in the end.
