Mumbai made a flying start and never let the momentum slip from their grip in the Eliminator against Gujarat Titans. Playing his first game for the franchise in a high-stakes encounter, Jonny Bairstow made his presence felt immediately with a blistering 47 off 22 balls. At the opposite end, Rohit Sharma made two early reprieves count, going on to steady the innings with a fine 81 off 50 deliveries.
After the Eliminator, Chennai Super Kings player and veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin gave a frank observation of Mumbai Indians’ ability to have good luck in crucial matches. Recalling his own previous experiences against the franchise, especially a 2018 showdown, Ashwin said that Mumbai always do appear to have fortune favoring them.
Also Read: PBKS Vs MI, Head-To-Head Record: What To Expect From Qualifier 2?
MI “always get lucky.” “Of course, you earn your luck. But MI always get lucky. We have to find out how they’re getting so lucky,” said Ashwin
With five IPL titles to their credit, Mumbai Indians are equal with Chennai Super Kings as the league’s most successful franchise. Their victory over Gujarat now draws them into a deciding Qualifier 2 as they look to get another bite at the much-sought trophy.
“Prasidh Krishna was after the Purple Cap. The way he was bowling today, he would’ve gone to another level in the Eliminator. He was clocking 150kph. There was one over where Jonny Bairstow smashed him for 26 runs, but in that over, he tried to get his wicket in 2-3 balls. It was an incisive over, but he couldn’t get the wicket. And after that, the game went for the worse,” Ashwin mentioned.
“He dropped a catch. Then, Kusal Mendis dropped a catch off Siraj’s bowling. Then, Rohit was unstoppable. It looked like a hand of god was with Rohit Sharma. He had the luck but he capitalised on the chances.
“I’ve seen one thing against Mumbai Indians, every time. In 2018, I was leading Punjab against MI. They were 80-odd for five wickets in 13 overs. They weren’t anywhere in the game. Suddenly, the floodlights lost current and we had a 20-minute break. And when the game resumed, Kieron Pollard went ballistic and they went to smash around 180-200 runs.”
