Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians, 30th Match, Indian Premier League 2026 - CommentaryGT vs MI, 30th Match, Indian Premier League 2026 - Commentary

After the previous game, Hardik Pandya spoke about going back to the drawing board - reassessing where things were going wrong and whether tough calls were needed. This performance from Mumbai Indians suggests those conversations have paid off. Yes, Tilak Varma’s knock was the headline act, but Bumrah taking the new ball and striking first up set the tone when defending a total. Ashwani Kumar made an immediate impact, and Hardik’s energy in the field seemed to lift the entire side. Mumbai Indians are known for slow starts - but if this is a sign of what’s to come, the rest of the teams should take notice. For Gujarat Titans, this looks like a game to move past quickly. They began well with the ball but couldn’t sustain that control, and with the bat, things never really got going. That’s all from this game. Up next, Sunrisers Hyderabad take on Delhi Capitals. Until next time, goodbye and stay safe..

Tilak Varma | Player of the Match: (How good or how special does this feel?) Yeah, of course, the first hundred will always be special. And to be honest, it was very important for us. We don’t have much time from here. Every game is important for us. At the same point, in the last five games, I haven’t spent much time in the middle. So I was just thinking that this game, I want to spend time in the center of the wicket. So that’s what I thought. If you see the first 20 balls, I was just going ball by ball. I was just batting. And later on, once I had faced a few balls on the wicket, I know what I am capable of, and exactly I have done that. I’m really grateful for that. (Were you conscious of hitting down the ground or did it just happen?) I was just seeing the situation, what the team needs. And at that moment, I was stable, keeping my head still and following my basics. And you know, I’ve got all the fancy shots. When the team needs, I can use that. But especially when you’re batting under pressure, all you need is backing your skill. And that’s what I backed today, and it has given me good results. (His partnership with Naman) Yeah, yeah, it was very important. The way Naman played at that moment was very crucial for us, with a positive intent. Yeah, credit goes to him as well. And after that, the way I carried on, I’m really proud, especially.

Hardik Pandya | MI captain: Very important. It’s always challenging to go away and win. But at the same point of time, Ahmedabad has been something which is very tough for us as the Mumbai Indians. And yeah, we just played good cricket. And it feels very special because it was much needed. (What happened post the 14th over timeout?) I think the message… I realized, see, the kind of talent Tilak has, he really does not need to worry about a lot. So the only message I kept telling him was that you’re gonna just watch the ball and hit the ball irrespective of what, because I genuinely believe the kind of ball striking from his bat is something really special. It was about time that he kind of comes and delivers. And yeah, I think a couple of times I went so loud that I kind of got dizzy. So yeah, but it was much needed for the group. It was much needed for Tilak. It was much needed for Mumbai Indians. And as a captain as well, that kind of energy only changes things around. (Jasprit Bumrah, first ball wicket) Yeah, it’s quite fascinating. I’ve seen a lot of people go, why Jassie has never bowled… But if you see, it’s been 138 [151] appearances and I think 8 or 9 times Jasprit has bowled the first over. So I don’t think it’s a Hardik Pandya problem. It’s just that Jasprit Bumrah is so special that you use him wherever it’s required for the team, not when you start. So, but yeah, today was something we realized - that we really want to make an impact with the new ball, and no one’s better than him. (It’s kind of a perfect game, isn’t it?) Really amazing by the youngsters. I think Mumbai Indians needed that as a group. We needed that the youngsters come and kind of create that energy. And it was really fantastic, the debutant Krish, coming and bowling right areas, showing the right intent. Ashwani coming and bowling, really amazing, taking 4-fers and he’s done last time, last year as well. He changed the momentum for us. You know, against KKR, kind of things changed for us. So yeah, really, really amazing by the youngsters. And yeah, fielding had to click. Special mention to Naman as well. (Is this that game [which turns their season around]?) Yes.

Ashwani Kumar (translated from Hindi): (What was the plan?) Nothing special really. Once I went in there, I saw that bowling hard lengths and back-of-a-length deliveries was working, so I kept backing that plan. (Good use of variations?) Yes, yes. I was planning it along with Hardik bhaiya. Whatever the wicket demanded or whatever the situation demanded, I bowled accordingly. (MI's planning was good today) Yes sir, we had very solid planning. (Use of short balls?) Yes, that was because the wicket demanded it. We were planning to take wickets, and after discussing it with Hardik bhaiya, we executed accordingly. (Thoughts on his second four-wicket haul in IPL?) I was thinking a lot about this, whenever I get a chance to play, I want to do well. So today it happened, and it feels great.

Shubman Gill | GT captain: Honestly, I think we gave away too many runs in the middle overs. On a wicket like that, I think 160-170 was a par score. But I think there are a lot of learnings for us from this game. (Makes you go back to the drawing board?) I mean, a small hiccup, but now we’ve got a couple of games on the road, so hopefully we will come back on the winning side again. (What do you think you could have done better?) I think the wicket was a little bit on the slower side. I don’t think we hit the right areas. The length ball wasn’t coming on as well, some balls were coming, some weren’t, and some were keeping low. I think we could have hit that length in the middle overs a bit more consistently, which we were not able to. (Did the pitch change when they were batting?) I think it was pretty similar. If at all, it could have gotten a little bit better because I think there was a bit more dew when we were batting.

Tilak Varma is the first MI batter and overall 9th player to outscore the opposition in IPL. The last batter to do so was KL Rahul (132*) playing for PBKS against RCB (109) at Dubai in 2020.

Ashwani Kumar today (by lengths)
Full: 0/1 (2 balls)
Good: 0/10 (7 balls)
Short: 4/11 (15 balls)

Biggest win margin for MI in IPL (by runs)
146 vs DD, Delhi, 2017
102 vs KKR, Kolkata, 2018
100 vs RR, Jaipur, 2025
99 vs GT, Ahmedabad, 2026*
98 vs DD, Delhi, 2010

This is also the biggest defeat for GT in terms of runs, surpassing 83 runs against CSK at the same venue last year.

Lowest totals for GT in the IPL
89 vs DC, Ahmedabad, 2024
100 vs MI, Ahmedabad, 2026*
125/6 vs DC, Ahmedabad, 2023
130 vs LSG, Lucknow, 2024
135/6 vs LSG, Lucknow, 2023

This was just the fifth instance of GT getting bowled out in an IPL game.

MI while defending 200-plus targets (IPL)
Mats: 20
Won - 19
Lost - 1 (vs PBKS in 2025)

This is also the first win for MI against GT at Ahmedabad in five matches. Eight of the nine matches between these two sides has been won by the side batting first.

This is the first win for MI after losing six consecutive IPL games in Ahmedabad. Their only other win here came against RR in 2014.

23:04 Local Time, 17:34 GMT: A comprehensive victory for Mumbai Indians to get their season back on track. On a surface where most batters struggled, Tilak Varma produced a stunning 45-ball 101 - an innings that stood out by a mile. It tells you everything about the quality of that knock. A total of 199 was well above par on this pitch, and Gujarat Titans found that out the hard way. Bumrah was handed the new ball for the first time since 2022 and struck with the very first delivery. Hardik followed it up by trapping Buttler in the next over - the perfect start. Gill didn’t last the powerplay either, meaning for the first time, Gujarat Titans lost Sai Sudharsan, Gill, and Buttler inside the first six overs. From there, it was a collective effort. Ashwani Kumar, playing his first game of the season, starred with a 4-wicket haul, while Ghazanfar wrapped things up with the final two wickets. Presentations coming up..

AM Ghazanfar to Mohammed Siraj, THATS OUT!! Lbw!!

GT review! Siraj is given out LBW. But they still have reviews up their sleeve, so why not use it. This looked dead. No bat involved. Onto ball-tracking - it is smashing into middle and leg-stump. OUT

Slip has been added