A blazing unbeaten century by Suryakumar Yadav helped Mumbai Indians beat the reigning Indian Premier League champions Gujarat Titans by 27 runs in Mumbai Friday.
The world's top-rated Twenty20 batter hit a 49-ball 103, with six sixes and 11 fours, to propel his team to 218/5 and outshone an inspired all-round performance by Afghanistan and Gujarat maverick spinner Rashid Khan.
Rashid, who earlier took 4/30, hit an unbeaten 32-ball 79 with 10 sixes to take Gujarat from 103/8 in the 14th over to 191/8 in reply.
Shanto hit a brilliant 93-ball 117 – his maiden ODI hundred – as the Tigers reached their 320-run target with 3 deliveries to spare@BCBtigers @cricketireland https://t.co/hefpKu9j55
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) May 13, 2023
Gujarat captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and chose to field, but immediately faced aggressive hitting by Mumbai skipper and opener Rohit Sharma, who hit 18-ball 29, in a 61-run opening partnership with Ishan Kishan.
However, Mumbai lost Rohit, Kishan (31) and rookie Nehal Wadhera (15) to slip to 88/3 before Yadav took charge for his first IPL century in yet another player-of-the-match performance.
Rashid, who removed both the openers as well as Wadhera and Tim David, was the only threatening Gujarat bowler.
It is an extraordinary situation less than six months before the start of a quadrennial global sporting tournamenthttps://t.co/U6w4kxWhBS
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) May 12, 2023
Gujarat then made the worst possible start, losing openers Wriddhiman Saha (two), Shubman Gill (six) and skipper Pandya (four) by the fourth over.
In-form all-rounder Vijay Shankar (29) failed to convert a promising start and fell to Piyush Chawla's leg spin.
The current IPL table-toppers kept losing wickets to tight lengths by Mumbai spinners Chawla (2/36) and Kumar Kartikeya (2/37).
Indian rookie pacer Akash Madhwal bowled four tight overs and took three wickets for 31 runs and Mumbai looked set wrap the game early before Khan's arrival.
@darensammy88, the only man to lead his side to two @T20WorldCup titles, was Friday appointed the new head coach of the @windiescricket white-ball teams, the national federation announced.https://t.co/jLwpzXqsmB
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) May 12, 2023
Mumbai had no answers to Rashid's power.
Pandya said that it "felt like only Rashid turned up from our team (and) batted and bowled incredibly well".
"People have spoken enough about" Yadav, "one of the best batters in Twenty20 cricket. Really tough to set fields for him," Pandya said about his India teammate after the defeat.
