Mullanpur: Sai Sudharsan's second innings performance almost eclipsed a first innings masterclass for the second time in the ongoing IPL season. However, Sudharsan's 49-ball 80 (10x4, 1x6) in Mullanpur fell short of Rohit Sharma's 50-ball 81 (9X4, 4X6), and Mumbai Indians defeated Gujarat Titans by 20 runs on Friday. This contrasted with the events of May 18 against Delhi Capitals, when Sudharsan's century had outscored KL Rahul's.

Sudharsan unleashed his complete repertoire of delicious strokeplay in pursuit of MI's 228/5 on a pitch that gave very little lateral mobility, but ultimately MI's total was just too much. Sudharsan, the league's current top scorer, combined with Kusal Mendis for a 64-run partnership for the second wicket off only 34 balls to help GT get on track after losing captain Shubman Gill on the fourth ball of their chase.

Sudharsan was joined in the middle by his Tamil Nadu teammate Washington Sundar when Mendis was out in the seventh over, and the two formed a crucial 84-run partnership. Although Sundar made a blistering 24-ball 48 (5x4, 3x6), Impact Player Sherfane Rutherford and Rahul Tewatia were unable to meet the challenge after Sudharsan was dismissed in the 16th over by Richard Gleeson.

Not only did Jasprit Bumrah bowl well in the thrilling chase, but Rohit Sharma also laid the groundwork for MI's victory by taking full use of some early reprieves to hit a beautiful 81 after Hardik Pandya called the toss correctly.

Rohit top-edged a back of length Prasidh Krishna delivery to fine leg, where Gerald Coetzee comfortably settled under the ball but dropped the catch, after Mohammed Siraj bowled a slow first over. Rohit's textbook straight drive off Siraj in the third over was followed by another boundary as he pulled him over midwicket, signaling a change in momentum. After that, Siraj captured Rohit, who then hit a wild slog for 12, but Kusal Mendis, the wicketkeeper, missed the opportunity.

Jonny Bairstow ripped Prasidh apart in the following over, which brought the game firmly in MI's favor. The over began with a powerful pull from the English batsman that traveled over square leg and landed for a six. Then, Bairstow created space on the leg side and hit Prasidh over the off side for a four.

Later, as MI's fifty was brought up in 3.5 overs, Bairstow's leading edge cleared the empty third man for six more, and he followed it up with a straight six. On the final delivery, Bairstow still had more to do as he created space, and the under edge sprinted for four between the keeper and short third. MI got off to a really good start with 26 runs from that over.

In the sixth over, Sai Kishore's left-arm spin was introduced as Gill was clearly shaken by Bairstow's attack and compelled to alter his field after almost every delivery. Rohit retaliated by sweeping him for a six and a pair of fours. With his skill at maneuvering the arc between midwicket and square leg, Rohit put on a show of flawless placement, enticing the field.

MI's best Powerplay of this IPL season came when they scored 79 runs. In the eighth over, GT finally struck when Sai Sudharsan made a diving save to deflect Bairstow's reverse hit off Sai Kishore to Coetzee at backward point. With four fours and three massive sixes, the right-hander's 47-point score came off 22 pitches.

Rohit was joined by Suryakumar Yadav in the middle, and the two of them faced off against Sai Kishore and Rashid Khan for a few silent overs. The following two, however, saw MI innings resume their tempo as they scored 24 runs. Coetzee's 12th over saw Mendis drop Surya, but Sai Kishore had him caught at fine leg off a top-edged sweep.

In the interim, Rohit continued in his upbeat manner, using his trademark beautiful stroke play to keep the MI innings going. After his prior mishaps, he calmly reached his fifty in twenty-eight balls. Rohit was especially effective against Rashid Khan's leg-spin, first dancing down the track and then hitting him inside-out for a six, and then, after a few overs, sweeping the bowl on the same length for another six. MI reached 228/5 thanks to Hardik Pandya's late surge.

As a result, MI, the five-time champion, will play Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2 on Sunday, and the victor will play RCB in the championship game on June 3.

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