Rohit Sharma addresses mixed bag IPL 2025 after ‘lucky' innings knocks out GT: 'Would have liked to score more 50s'
Rohit Sharma made the most of his chances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Eliminator between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans on Friday in Mullanpur as the 38-year-old showed he has still got it. The right-hander, who has had a mixed-bag season, unleashed his best in the crucial do-or-die encounter, scoring 81 runs off 50 balls, paving the way for Mumbai Indians to post more than 220 runs on the board.
This total proved too much for Gujarat Titans to chase as Shubman Gill and co fell 20 runs short. Rohit Sharma was adjudged as Player of the Match for his performance and while speaking to the host broadcaster, Rohit addressed his mixed 2025 season for the franchise, saying he would have liked to score more half-centuries.
In the Eliminator, Rohit Sharma got two reprieves inside the powerplay as Gerald Coetzee and Kusal Mendis dropped relatively easy catches. Coetzee dropped a sitter off the bowling of Prasidh Krishna while wicketkeeper Mendis put one down off the bowling of Mohammed Siraj.
"I have got only four fifties. I would have definitely liked to score more. It was a good day for us as a team. I do understand the importance of playing this Eliminator, going through this and taking the next step forward. Really proud of a complete team effort," said Rohit Sharma at the post-match presentation.
"To be honest, I have played those shots before in the tournament and unfortunately, I have found fielders. Somewhere down the line, you got to be lucky, and today was that day for me. I got lucky as those catches were dropped. But even after that, you got to play. I was focussing on keeping the momentum and tempo going," he added.
Rohit Sharma had an underwhelming start to the IPL 2025 season, as he was unable to buy a run. However, the fixture against Chennai Super Kings turned the around for him as he played an unbeaten knock of 76.
Jonny Bairstow, who was named as a replacement player for Ryan Rickelton, stitched together an opening partnership of 84 runs for the opening wicket with Rohit Sharma. The right-hander was eventually dismissed on 47 by Gujarat Titans spinner Sai Kishore.
Speaking about Bairstow, Rohit said, "Jonny, I have watched him over the years being on the other side. It was nice to be on the same side and have a crack at it. We know the quality he has, a lot of experience playing in this format, and we know what he can do upfront, and this is exactly what he did," said Rohit.
"Never looked like he was playing his first game for this franchise. Got settled in pretty well. He took his chances and it came off. Good start, we always look for that start and we capitalised on that," he added.
Mumbai Indians defended 228 after restricting Gujarat Titans to 208 in 20 overs. The five-time champions will now take on Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
RCB have already qualified for the final after getting the better of PBKS in Qualifier 1.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
21 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Shreyas Iyer hurls expletives, gives Shashank Singh a mouthful after batter's run out almost jeopardises final chances
Shreyas Iyer might have played an unbeaten 87-run knock off 41 balls against Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Qualifier 2 to help Punjab Kings reach the final, but the skipper wasn't pleased after the fixture came to an end at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The PBKS captain was seen giving Shashank Singh a mouthful following the latter's run-out in the crucial encounter. After Shreyas Iyer hit the winning six off the bowling of Ashwani Kumar, the entire Punjab Kings' camp charged to the middle to hug the skipper and celebrate the feat of reaching the IPL final for the second time in their history. However, when Shashank Singh approached Shreyas Iyer, the latter hurled expletives and gave him a mouthful, clearly expressing his anger with how Shashank was unable to make the non-striker's end in time and was caught short of the crease by a bullet Hardik Pandya throw. Shreyas Iyer even raised his hands and pointed his fingers towards Shashank, expressing his dissatisfaction with how Shashank had not made the crease in time. Shashank Singh did not say anything to Shreyas Iyer as he simply walked ahead. However, his expression clearly showed that he, too, was disappointed with his run-out in the 17th over of the contest. Shashank Singh walked back to the dugout after being run out for just 2 runs on the fourth ball of the 17th over. Off the bowling of Trent Boult, Shashank Singh hit the low full-toss wide of Hardik Pandya at mid-on. The Mumbai Indians skipper then gathered the ball quickly and he brought the stumps down in a jiffy. Going by the naked eye, it seemed Shashank Singh had made his crease comfortably at the non-striker's end. However, the replays showed Shashank jogging and taking it lightly, and in the end, he was caught short of the popping crease. This was a huge moment in the game, as a lack of dive cost the Punjab Kings. This was a case of poor running from Shashank Singh and it is no surprise that Shreyas Iyer wasn't pleased one bit with what transpired in the middle. Speaking of the contest between PBKS and MI, Iyer played a match-winning knock of 87* to help the side chase down 204 with five wickets in hand and six balls to spare. As a result of this win, PBKS qualified for the IPL 2025 final, where they will take on Rajat Patidar-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Tuesday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Mint
31 minutes ago
- Mint
IPL 2025, Qualifier 2; Sensational Shreyas Iyer leads Punjab Kings to the final, books a date with RCB
Punjab Kings pulled off the impossible. Shreyas Iyer & co. managed to successfully chase 204 against the Mumbai Indians and barged into the final of the Indian Premier League 2025. Punjab Kings' stunning win meant that we will have a new winner in the Indian Premier League. Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings will contest the final on June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. After 18 failed attempts, Punjab Kings became the first team to successfully chase a 200+ target against the Mumbai Indians in IPL. It's also the highest successful run-chase in the history of IPL playoffs. Josh Inglis played the blinder that Punjab Kings badly wanted, clobbering Jasprit Bumrah for 20 runs in his first over. Yet, Punjab Kings managed only 81 runs in the first 9 overs of the chase. Trent Boult dropped an absolute sitter at deep fine leg in the 10th over and gave massive life to Nehal Wadhera on 13 runs. The left-hander rode his luck and scored 48 runs off 29 balls in a vital 84-run stand for the 4th wicket with his captain, Shreyas Iyer. Shashank Singh's untimely run-out added unnecessary pressure on Punjab Kings. Shreyas Iyer took his time to settle, scoring just 19 runs in the first 15 balls he faced. Reece Topley, playing his first match of the tournament, came to bowl the 13th over, and Shreyas smelled blood right away. His hat-trick sixes brought down the required run rate from 11.87 to 10.85. Shreyas mixed brute power with immaculate timing and played the best innings of his IPL career. He used the pace of Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah to score three boundaries in the 17th and 18th overs in the third-man region. Ashwani Kumar got his length wrong in the penultimate over, and the skipper wasn't the one to show mercy on the youngster. Four sixes in the 19th over sealed the deal, with Shreyas standing tall on 87* off 41 balls. He lost the battle to RCB in the Qualifier 1, but he is ready for the war tomorrow. Shreyas Iyer became the first captain to lead three teams to an IPL final. He led Delhi Capitals to their maiden final in 2020 and won the title with KKR in 2024. Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Punjab Kings, June 3 (Live from Ahmedabad at 7:30 PM)
Hindustan Times
43 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Murali Kartik called ‘absolute worst' for shocking 'Priyansh Arya' take on air; fans tell BCCI to impose commentary ban
Former India cricketer Murali Kartik once again found himself in the midst of a controversy after his latest comment on air during the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 match between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The comment left fans enraged as they called for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to take a strict action against Kartik. During the match, as Kartik was summarising Punjab's innings, during the successful chase of 204 in Ahmedabad, he comment 'after the demise of Priyansh Arya,' left fans on social media fuming as it instantly went viral on the internet. While most lashed out at Kartik for his choice of words, few even urged BCCI to remove him from commentary. The Punjab captain unleashed carnage in Ahmedabad with his unbeaten knock of 87, carrying Punjab Kings to a five-wicket win over Mumbai Indians. The victory subsequently helped PBKS set up the IPL 2025 final against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, ensuring the league will have a new champion on June 3. This will be Punjab's first title clash since 2014, and second successive for Iyer as captain after marshalling Kolkata Knight Riders' triumph in 2024. In the colossal chase of 2024, Iyer stood out with his imperious knock of just 41 balls, laced with five boundaries and eight maximums, as Punjab wrapped up the contest with an over to spare. He will, however, thank the plucky Nehal Wadhera for exploiting his two reprieves to peel off an important 48 off 29 balls and adding 84 runs for the fourth wicket with his captain. The June 3 clash between the two teams that finished top of the table will be the fourth face-off this season between the two sides. RCB won two of the previous three, both on back-to-back occasions in Chandigarh. The last one came on Thursday, with Punjab losing by eight wickets in the first Qualifier.
