New Delhi: The Gujarat Titans defeated the Mumbai Indians by a commanding 36 runs on Saturday in Match No. 9 of the 2025 Indian Premier League. The Mumbai Indians could only muster 160 runs in 20 overs while chasing a target of 197. Once more, Rohit Sharma fell short of expectations when he was dismissed by Mohammed Siraj with only eight runs. Ryan Rickelton, his opening partner, left early as well, scoring just six runs.
MI lost even though Suryakumar Yadav (48) and Tilak Varma (39), together, scored 62 runs. Although there were strong expectations that captain Hardik Pandya would lead the team to victory, he made a grave error by sending the novice Robin Minz before himself. Let's examine the three main causes of the Mumbai Indians' loss in this game.
1. Not Including Vignesh Puthur in the Playing XI
Even though the Mumbai Indians had already lost their opening game, everyone was impressed by rookie bowler Vignesh Puthur during that encounter against the Chennai Super Kings. He bowled brilliantly on his IPL debut, taking three wickets for thirty-two runs in his four-over spell. But against Gujarat Titans, Hardik Pandya unexpectedly left him out of the starting lineup, a move that cost MI dearly. One of the main causes of Mumbai's loss was his absence.
2. Excluding Will Jacks from the Squad
Hardik Pandya also made a mistake by omitting Will Jacks, a powerful hitter for England. It's important to remember that Jacks struck a century at this stadium before. At the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium on April 28, 2024, he defeated the Gujarat Titans with an undefeated century off just 41 balls. MI's chances were harmed by the dubious choice to leave such a talented guy off the team.
3. Hardik Pandya’s Strange Batting Order Decision
Hardik Pandya's aggressive batting style and capacity to chase down targets under duress are well-known. But he sent the rookie Robin Minz ahead of himself against the Gujarat Titans. MI needed to score 100 runs off of 51 balls at that point. Pandya's choice to dismiss Minz backfired because he was only able to score three runs off six balls, rather than taking the initiative. MI lost a chance to rally in the game because of this bad tactical decision.
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