Siraj, Krishna lead Gujarat to win over Mumbai in IPL

FAST bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna took two wickets each as Gujarat Titans defeated Mumbai Indians by 36 runs, securing their first win of the IPL season on Saturday.

Batting first after being invited, Gujarat posted 196-8, with Sai Sudharsan scoring 63 off 41 balls at the Ahmedabad stadium.

Siraj then led the bowling effort, restricting Mumbai to 160-6, handing the five-time IPL champions their second straight loss of the tournament.

Siraj dismissed both Mumbai openers early, while Krishna struck in the middle overs, finishing with figures of 2-18. Krishna, who has represented India in Tests, ODIs, and T20s, was named player of the match.

"I was itching to bowl. We were sitting and watching how the first innings went, so we understood that cutters into the wicket were working well," Krishna said.

Mumbai’s former captain Rohit Sharma hit two early boundaries before Siraj bowled him for eight. Siraj then removed South African wicketkeeper-batsman Ryan Rickelton for six as he chopped an inside edge onto his stumps.

Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav put together a 62-run stand for the third wicket, but Krishna broke the partnership by dismissing Varma for 39. Suryakumar hit 48, including four sixes, as he and skipper Hardik Pandya attempted to keep the chase alive.

However, disciplined bowling kept Mumbai under pressure. Krishna dismissed Suryakumar, and South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada got rid of Pandya for 11, slowing the chase further.

'Not professional'

"Tough to put it together, I think in batting and bowling we were 15-20 runs short in both places," Pandya said.

"We were not professional in the field, we made basic errors and that cost us 20-25 runs, and in a T20 game that is quite a lot."

Earlier, Gujarat openers Sudharsan and Shubman Gill built a steady start before accelerating in the fifth and sixth overs, adding 35 runs.

Pandya, returning to the team after serving a suspension for a slow-over rate offence last season, dismissed Gill for 38, ending a 78-run opening stand. He finished with figures of 2-29.

Sudharsan built another partnership with England’s Jos Buttler, who struck 39 off 24 balls. Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman dismissed Buttler, caught behind.

Pandya removed big-hitter Shahrukh Khan for nine, and West Indies left-hander Sherfane Rutherford fell to Deepak Chahar for 18.

Sudharsan reached his fifty before New Zealand pacer Trent Boult trapped him lbw. Gujarat’s scoring slowed in the final overs, but their total proved enough for the win.

(With inputs from agencies)