Daniel Sams starred with the ball to see Mumbai Indians to a five-run victory over Gujarat Titans in their Tata Indian Premier League match at the Brabourne Stadium on Friday night.
GT were chasing 178 for victory after MI had put up a total of 177 for six in their 20 overs. MI restricted GT to 170 for five in their 20 overs.
Sams, who bowled three overs at an economy of six runs an over, won the match for MI by successfully defending nine runs in the final over. The win is MI's second in the tournament. The five-time IPL champions have played 10 games and won only two.
GT won the toss and elected to field first.
Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan gave MI the perfect start to their innings with a 74-run opening partnership that came off only 45 deliveries. The pair's opening stand marked the third time MI has had an opening stand worth 50 or more runs.
MI captain, Sharma, has struggled to get going this year. The MI captain has averaged 17.22 runs at a strike rate of 130.19. However, the experienced campaigner did not struggle against GT. The 35-year-old showed his intentions in the second when he plundered 14 runs off Alzarri Joseph's bowling.
From then onwards, it was smooth sailing for Sharma and his opening partner, Ishan Kishan. The duo put together a 74-run partnership that came off only 45 deliveries.
STUMBLED
Sharma was looking good, close to his best, and would have been disappointed to not register his first half-century of the season. The India superstar was dismissed, trapped lbw, trying to reverse sweep a Rashid Khan delivery. He fell for a well-played 43 from 28.
MI stumbled in the middle overs and found themselves in danger of failing to put up a decent total. After Sharma's dismissal, MI endured a six-over spell where they lost three wickets for 23 runs.
Suryakumar Yadav, Sharma's replacement, did not last long. The talented batter faced 11 balls for his 13 runs. Ishan Kishan, who had taken charge of the innings following Sharma's dismissal, did not last long after Suryakumar's dismissal. Suryakumar was dismissed in the 11th over and Kishan followed him back to the dressing-room in the 12th over.
Kishan fell five runs short of his third half-century of the season. He scored five fours and a single six on his way to a 29-ball 45. Kieron Pollard was looking lost at sea from the moment he came in, particularly facing Rashid Khan. The West Indies star chewed up 14 deliveries for his four runs.
Tim David's arrival at the crease also ended MI's boundary drought. Before David's arrival, MI played 23 deliveries without scoring a boundary. The Player of the Match, David, played one dot ball before finding the boundary with the next two balls that he faced.
TURNING FORTUNES
GT captain, Hardik Pandya stationed at mid-off, broke Tim David and Tilak Varma's budding partnership with a well-executed run-out. David and Tilak put together a handy 37-run partnership that came off 28 deliveries.
The delivery that led to Tilak's dismissal was also judged to be a waist-high no-ball. Tim David punished the no-ball for a six. David was in good form, bludgeoning two fours and four sixes on his way to an unbeaten on 44 from 21 balls.
Tilak's replacement, Sams, did not bother the scorers. The 29-year-old Australian went back for a two-ball duck.
Rashid Khan was GT's most successful bowler with two wickets for 24 runs in his four overs.
GT's fortunes seem to have turned for the worst after a good start to their campaign. Their innings mimicked that trend too.
Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill gave GT a good start to their innings. Particularly Saha, who was the aggressor early on. The GT showed a great range of shots as he raced to 37 runs off 23 deliveries in the first six overs. Saha's shot-making gave Gill time to get his eye in and get going. At one point, Gill was going at less than a run-a-ball, however, after settling in, he raised his strike rate to 144.44.
GT was on 54 without loss after the PowerPlay.
SWIVELLING BAT
Saha brought up his 11th IPL half-century with the last ball of the 11th over. It came off 34 balls. Saha's half-century also brought up the pair's 100-run partnership. Two balls later, Gill brought up his own half-century, his third of the season.
Four balls later, Gill was on his way back to the dressing-room for 52 off 36. The opener was dismissed by Murugan Ashwin. Ashwin made it two wickets in one over when he dismissed Saha five balls later. Saha departed for a well-played 55 off 40.
Sai Sudharsan was unable to replicate his last innings where he scored a valiant half-century in a losing cause. For a brief moment, the 20-year-old looked as if he was picking up from where he left off when GT played Punjab Kings, then he was dismissed, hit-wicket. Sudharsan missed a pull attempt on a short delivery from Kieron Pollard and his bat crushed onto the stumps as he swivelled.
Sudharsan is the first hit-wicket dismissal of the season and 14th overall in the IPL.
GT lost their captain when Hardik Pandya was run-out by Ishan Kishan attempting to take a tight single. Pandya had stroked four boundaries on his way to 24 off 14. GT needed 24 from 14 when Pandya was dismissed.
Jasprit Bumrah gave MI hope of a victory when he conceded only four singles in his first four deliveries of the 19th over. But, Proteas star, David Miller, swung the pendulum in GT's favour with a big six off the fifth delivery.
However, all was not lost for MI. Daniel Sams stepped up and defended nine runs in the last over. The Australian star conceded three singles in the over. Renowned finisher, Rahul Tewatia was run out on the third ball of the over attempting to squeeze in two runs. GT needed 7 from three to win when Tewatia was dismissed.
Rashid Khan managed a single to bring David Miller on strike with two balls to go. GT needed six runs to win. Miller was denied glory by some clever bowling by Sams.
Murugan Ashwin was Mumbai Indians' most successful bowler with two wickets from four overs at an economy of 7.25.
GUJARAT TITANS: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya (capt), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Pradeep Sangwan, Lockie Ferguson, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami
MUMBAI INDIANS: Rohit Sharma (capt), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Kieron Pollard, Daniel Sams, Murugan Ashwin, Kumar Kartikeya, Jasprit Bumrah, Riley Meredith