IPL 2023, GT vs MI, Qualifier 2: Gill's stunning ton take Gujarat to 2nd straight IPL final

IPL 2023, Gujarat Titans (GT) vs Mumbai Indians (MI), Top Performances: Shubman Gill’s 129 off 60, Suryakumar Yadav’s 61 off 38, and Mohit Sharma’s 5-10 are the top performances. Gujarat Titans beat Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 and move to 2nd IPL final.

IPL 2023, GT vs MI, Qualifier 2, Top Performances: Shubman Gill's third IPL hundred kick Mumbai out of IPL; GT move to IPL Finals | Walking wicket (Images_ ©IPL_Twitter)

Gill's third IPL hundred kick Mumbai out (Images: ©IPL/Twitter)

Brief Scores: Gujarat Titans 233-3 (Shubman 129, Sudharsan 43, Madhwal 1-52, Piyush 1-45) beat Mumbai Indians 199-6 (Suryakumar 61, Tilak 43, Mohit 5-10, Rashid 2-33) by 62 runs

Player Of The Match: Shubman Gill (129 runs off 60 balls)

The blockbuster eliminator match of the TATA IPL 2023 kicked off between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians after a delayed start due to rain. This was certainly a do-or-die contest as both teams had all to play for to make it to the finals. Both teams gave it their all and did not disappoint us at all.

Gujarat's Spectacular Performance Secures Their Spot in the Finals

After being sent in to bat first, GT made a subdued start to their first innings. Gill and Saha tried to up the ante but were a touch on the slower side while scoring inside the powerplay overs. MI got their first breakthrough when Saha stumped off Chawla’s bowling in the 3rd ball of the 7th over. But somehow, luck seemed to favor Shubman Gill as he got a few lucky reprieves as MI failed to get him back into the hut. He would not waste such opportunities and played a blinder of innings scoring 129(60) featuring 7 fours and 10 sixes. MI bowlers had a hard time containing the onslaught from Gill which proved to be very expensive. In the end, they ended up conceding a monstrous total of 233-3.

MI had their backs against the wall and the realisation soon dawned upon them they had a mountain to climb. Wadhera perished in the very first over which sent tremors in the MI dressing room. More trouble followed as Green got a blow on his elbow the very next over forcing him off the field. And just an over later, the skipper Rohit Sharma departed for a paltry looking 8 (7) reducing MI to 21/2. Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav stitched a crucial 51 run off 22 balls to get MI back in the chase. Following Tilak’s departure, Green returned to bat and teamed up with Yadav to carry the MI innings forward. But as soon as they were dismissed, MI’s hopes of making it to the finals diminished as they crashed out by 62 runs.

Talking Points: Shubman Gill’s Two Drop Chances Proved Way Too Costly for MI

MI made a grave error of missing out on dismissing Gill on two major occasions. Gill got the first lifeline when he was dropped on 30 by Tim David at mid-on while Jordan was bowling. It was a regulation catch that had to be taken. And the next over, a stumping opportunity was missed when Chawla was bowling. The complexion of the game would have been a lot different had he been dismissed earlier. But much to the despair of the MI fans, these dropped chances would hurt them big time as Gill amassed a whopping 129 runs in just 60 balls which propelled GT to a commanding total of 233 which turned out to be way beyond MI’s reach.

Top performances from GT vs MI Qualifier 2, Ahmedabad

IPL 2023, GT vs MI, Qualifier 2, Top Performances_ Shubman Gill scores 129 off 60 (third IPL ton) against MI in qualifier; GT beat MI Walking wicket (Images_ ©IPL_Twitter)

Gill scores 129 off 60 (third IPL ton) against MI in qualifier (Images: ©IPL/Twitter)

Shubman Gill's Sublime Form And Another Matching Winning Century

Shubman Gill played one of the best innings in an IPL knockout match. When it mattered the most, he rose up to the occasion and played a scintillating knock of 129 (60) at a record-breaking strike rate of 215. His special innings that powered GT all the way to the finals blew away the spectators including the commentators. He timed everything to perfection and played some attacking cricket shots all around the ground, bringing the home crowd onto their feet. Madhwal, who had a dream spell against LSG in the eliminator 1 match was taken to the cleaners by Gill who showed no mercy to him. With this innings, Gill also became the highest run-scorer this season with 851 runs to his name.

IPL 2023, GT vs MI, Qualifier 2, Top Performances_ Suryakumar Yadav scored 61 off 39 against GT; GT beat MI _ Walking wicket (Images_ ©IPL_Twitter)

Suryakumar Yadav’s Fighting Knock of 61 (38)

Suryakumar Yadav waged a lone battle and fought hard for his 61 (38) which included 7 fours and 2 sixes. He registered some useful partnerships with Tilak and Green to keep MI in the hunt. He also played some free-flowing shots around the ground and gave the MI bowlers some nightmares before succumbing to Mohit in the 16th over. He was going at a very good strike rate and could have posed a threat had he been there till the end. Following his dismissal, MI collapsed like a pack of cards as a result, got knocked out of the tournament.

Mohit Sharma’s Game-Changing Over Shatters MI’s IPL Dream

Mohit Sharma was introduced during the 16th over when SKY was looking to explode. With the equation still within reach, Yadav hit a demoralizing six in the second ball of his over. But Mohit outsmarted Yadav in the following delivery by knocking his leg stump out of the ground. Sky was forced into playing a false shot and paid the price by giving away his wicket. Two balls later, Mohit stuck again as he removed Vishnu Vinod with a well-disguised slower ball. That was the beginning of the end for MI. Soon after he removed Jordan, Chawla, and Kartikeya and finished the job in style for the Ahmedabad-based franchise.

What’s Next

MI are officially out of the tournament and they will need to wait for the next year’s IPL edition to commence to have a go again. Whereas, there is joy in the GT camp as they have prevailed and will now join CSK to play the blockbuster final on May 28 at Ahmedabad.