IPL 2025, GT vs MI: Gujarat Titans hammer Mumbai Indians by 36 runs for first win

Things can change quickly in the Indian Premier League. The fortunes of Gujarat Titans, along with their pace trio of Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, and Prasidh Krishna, shifted dramatically in less than a week—much like the nature of the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The Titans thrived on their return to familiar conditions in Ahmedabad, delivering a commanding performance to outclass Mumbai Indians by 36 runs on Saturday, 29 March. Led by a composed 63 from Sai Sudharsan and a disciplined bowling display, orchestrated by Siraj and Prasidh, Gujarat secured their first win of the IPL 2025 season.

Despite boasting a batting line-up packed with power-hitters, Mumbai Indians struggled against Gujarat’s wily bowlers on a sluggish pitch. After opting to bowl first, they never looked in control of the 197-run chase, as the trend of teams batting first winning in IPL 2025 continued. Mumbai could only manage 160, falling 36 runs short, with only Suryakumar Yadav showing any real spark with the bat.

Big names, including Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, and Hardik Pandya, failed to fire, struggling against the intensity and precision of Gujarat’s bowlers. Their struggles delighted Titans head coach Ashish Nehra, who was animated throughout the contest.

Mumbai remain winless against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, having now lost four consecutive



matches at the world's largest cricket venue since their first encounter in 2025.

The contrast between the first two games at the Narendra Modi Stadium was stark. When Punjab Kings, led by Shreyas Iyer, visited on Tuesday, a total of 475 runs were scored on a flat pitch. Gujarat were on the receiving end, falling short of Punjab’s mammoth total of 245 by 11 runs. The batting-friendly pitch that day came as a surprise, considering Gujarat had heavily invested in their bowling attack at the auction, securing Rabada, Siraj, and Prasidh to strengthen their squad.

While reports suggest that Kolkata Knight Riders are frustrated with curators at Eden Gardens for not preparing pitches suited to their strengths, Gujarat Titans appeared to have had a more favourable experience with pitch curators at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

During the course of the match, their batting coach explained how they had tailored the pitch in the lead-up to the game against Mumbai Indians to negate the visiting team's strength. While MI train on red soil pitches at the Wankhede Stadium, Gujarat served them a black soil pitch that was two-paced.

"This is a black soil pitch. It's a bit two-paced. We wanted this specifically. Mumbai Indians have been preparing on red soil pitches in Mumbai. So we wanted a black soil pitch," Parthiv had told the broadcasters.