GT VS MI QUALIFIER 2

Then there were two! Right then, we are done with Qualifier 2 and only the Final remains. In a fascinating tournament, we will finish just as we started as Chennai take on Gujarat in the grand finale on Sunday, the 28th of May in Ahmedabad. The very first match of the season was between these two teams and at the same venue as well, a fitting ending to the season perhaps. That game will begin at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT) but our build-up, as usual, will begin a lot sooner. Do join us then. Till then, take care and goodbye!

Shubman Gill is the Player of the Match for his stunning century. He says that for him it is all about playing ball-to-ball and keeping it over-to-over. Claims that when hit 3 sixes in an over, he realized that it was his day and he needed to make the most of it. Mentions that he looks to keep practicing and grow as a cricketer, player, and batter. Reckons that it helps when you come from a good international season and says that once he starts, he can keep going. Feels that things changed after the West Indies tour and he got injured, he decided to make some technical changes leading up to this tournament after the T20 World Cup. Informs that expectations are a factor when you are outside the ropes but when on the ground, he gives his 100% and tries to keep the intensity throughout. Ends by saying that this is his best inning in the Indian T20 League so far.

Gujarat's skipper, Hardik Pandya says that a lot of hard work has gone behind their win and it is just a reflection of that. Mentions that the clarity Shubman Gill has this year is amazing and the knock he played in this game is one of the finest he has ever seen and goes on to say that Gill is a superstar and will do big things for the franchise and for India as well. Adds that his job is simple and that is to keep the mindset of the boys positive. Says that when things are not going along well, Rashid Khan comes in and does the job superbly. Mentions that irrelevant of the result, they just want to play good cricket and is excited and happy for the boys.

The Presentation ceremony...

Mohit Sharma, who had an outstanding bowling performance, is up for a chat. He says that he is a little lucky to get those wickets. Mentions that it was skidding on nicely and looked like the opponents were on course at one stage with the way Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav batted so they were worried. Explains that they didn’t want to experiment in front of Suryakumar Yadav and bowl length balls even if they would go for sixes. Adds that after Suryakumar Yadav got out they were more confident of winning. Ends by saying that they were certain of a final appearance only after the final wicket fell.

Rohit Sharma, the captain of Mumbai says it was a great total by Gujarat and adds that Shubman Gill batted really well. Reckons that they conceded 20-25 runs extra but with their batting lineup, they were quite positive. States that Cameron Green and Suryakumar Yadav batted well in the middle but they lost their way in the run chase. Claims that they had a chat about giving it a good crack and being positive but the Powerplay didn’t go well as they lost a couple of wickets. Goes on to say that they could not get the momentum going and Suryakumar Yadav did well to keep them in the game but needed someone to take it deep. Credits Gujarat for playing well. When asked about Ishan Kishan, he says that he had a concussion and last-minute changes are not ideal but as a team, they need to adapt to different conditions. Mentions that he does not want to look at that and they didn’t play well enough to win the game. Tells that there have been positives like playing a Qualifier and coming third in a tournament along with the batting. Adds that the young players have done well and they can take it into next season to see what they can do with the squad. Informs that all the bowling teams have been challenged and they had a great bowling performance last time around but all credit to Shubman Gill and he is hoping that he can continue that form. Ends by saying that Tim had a role through the season and where he is going to bat but Vishnu got a chance as he is a good player so they do not want to look at any judgment as wrong as Gujarat came on top.

Earlier in the game, Rohit Sharma won the toss and put Gujarat in to bat on a wicket that was under the covers for some time. Gujarat had a steady start with the bat but lost Wriddhiman Saha just after the Powerplay. It was then a sensational 138-run stand between Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan that put the hosts in command. Gill went on to score a third hundred in the last four innings and ended up getting 129 runs, the highest individual score of this season. Sudharsan batted well too and Hardik Pandya finished the innings off with a bit of a flourish. For Mumbai, there wasn't much to talk about their bowling apart from Jason Behrendorff who bowled a very economical spell and Kumar Kartikeya too did well in the two overs he bowled. Coming to the chase, it was up and down for the first half but in the second half of the chase, Gujarat had the bowling capabilities and were able to completely derail the Mumbai innings.

Mumbai's brilliant run comes to an end as they fall well short in Qualifier 2 and miss out on the grand finale. Coming in to chase 234 runs, Mumbai had a few injury problems and were forced to use the Impact Player, Nehal Wadhera at the top of the order. Neither he nor Rohit Sharma got going and even Cameron Green got a blow around the left elbow which forced him to retire hurt. Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav did build up a solid stand but just when Varma was at his best, he got out. Yadav kept going from one end and Green came back on to bat and supported Yadav for a bit. Once the ball was changed though, Mumbai started to self-destruct with the bat. They went from 155 for 5 to 162 for 9 in a jiffy and in the end, they just ran completely out of steam with the likes of Tim David and Vishnu Vinod unable to fire.

BACK-TO-BACK FINALS FOR GUJARAT! What an impressive performance from the home team and Gujarat have done to Mumbai what Mumbai did to Lucknow and have just cruised to victory here. Gujarat had a mammoth total on the board thanks to a master class from Shubman Gill up top. And then, Mohammad Shami gave them the perfect start with the ball with a couple of early wickets. They did get high for a few runs from thereon but on the final ball of the Powerplay, Rashid Khan got rid of Tilak Varma who was spitting fire till then. They didn't pick up many wickets in the middle phase but once Joshua Little and Mohit Sharma came on to bowl, things changed. Little created pressure and got a wicket but it was Sharma who bowled a brilliant spell and ended up with five wickets, including the prized wicket of a well-set Suryakumar Yadav. In the end, Gujarat just had too many runs on the board and won the game comfortably.

OUT! CAUGHT Mohit Sharma has a five-fer! He has bowled magnificently today and grabbed this game by the scruff of the neck! He bowls this full and in line with the stumps. Kumar Kartikeya looks to go big but is unable to clear long on. David Miller stands at the ropes and takes a comfortable catch to get his team into back-to-back finals! Gujarat have completed a statement win by 62 runs and return to winning ways in style.

Mohit Sharma bowls this full and outside the off stump. Jason Behrendorff heaves across the line and gets it deep mid-wicket for one.

A touch fuller and outside the off pole. Kumar Kartikeya swings his blade hard but misses.

FOUR! Streaky boundary and Joshua Little screams in frustration! This is on a good length and in line with the stumps. Kumar Kartikeya swings his blade and gets an inside edge to fine leg for four runs.

Full and at the pads. Jason Behrendorff knocks this to long on for one.

Bowls this on a good length and outside off. Jason Behrendorff punches this towards cover.

Short and in line with the stumps. Jason Behrendorff ducks under this one and lets the keeper collect it.

Bowls this on a good length and outside off. Kumar Kartikeya punches this to deep cover for a run.