GT vs MI: Rohit Sharma survives twice—fans hope for a classic 'Hitman' knock in Eliminator clash
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) became the first team to secure a spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final after convincingly defeating the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 8 wickets in their own backyard last night. Attention then shifted to the Eliminator, held at the same venue—the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh—where fans were eager to see veteran batter Rohit Sharma rise to the occasion and deliver a big knock, something that has eluded him for some time.
However, while he looked sketchy in the high-stakes clash between the Gujarat Titans (GT) and the Mumbai Indians (MI), the 'Hitman' got lucky twice. He handed an early lifeline in the second over when Gerald Coetzee dropped a sitter off Prasidh Krishna's delivery with the batter on just 4 runs. He was granted another reprieve at 12 runs, as wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis failed to grab an edge off Mohammed Siraj's bowling.
Fans react
At the end of the Powerplay, MI had scored 79 without losing a wicket. Many on X (formerly Twitter) were quick to react to the Indian cricket star's two lifelines. Some are hoping for a big knock from the opening batter, while others have taken to sharing memes and the usual jokes about MI owners, the Ambanis, supposedly having a hand in the "dropped catches."
One said, "Dropped 2 easy catches of Rohit Sharma in Eliminator...Ambani is back."
Dropped 2 easy catches of Rohit Sharma in Eliminator Ambani is back 🔥 #MIvsGT #GTvsMI pic.twitter.com/VZHM3Hvfwy
Another said, "You can't beat Umpire Indians man. Dropped Rohit Sharma's easy catch 2 times."
You can't beat Umpire Indians man 💔Dropped Rohit Sharma's easy catch 2 times#GRvsMI #MumbaiIndians #bairstow #RohitSharma𓃵 pic.twitter.com/l2piph05ek
One wrote, "Rohit Sharma dropped twice!
PERFECT SCRIPT by JAY SHAH."
Rohit Sharma dropped twice!PERFECT SCRIPT by JAY SHAH#MIvsGT
Another wrote, "2 Catches were Dropped in just 10 runs. What a big fraud player Rohit Sharma is."
2 Catches were Dropped in just 10 runs. What a big fraud player Rohit Sharma is 😭Bro worked very hard the whole day in the nets for the eliminator.#MIvsGT #RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/uEtA1yKcT1
More about GT vs MI
Heading into the Playoffs, both teams faced key absences. MI have lost their overseas players Ryan Rickelton and Will Jacks, while GT were without their star batter Jos Buttler, who scored over 500 runs during the league stage.
MI handed debut caps to Jonny Bairstow, Richard Gleeson and Raj Angad Bawa while Kusal Mendis came in for Buttler and Washington Sundar for Arshad Khan.
GT vs MI: Teams
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Raj Bawa, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Richard Gleeson
Impact Subs: Krishnan Shrijith, Raghu Sharma, Robin Minz, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley.
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Kusal Mendis(w), Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Gerald Coetzee, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Impact Subs: Sherfane Rutherford, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Jayant Yadav, Arshad Khan.
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