IPL 2026: ‘We gave away too many runs,’ says Gill after Gujarat Titans’ ‘heavy defeat’ to MI

Ahmedabad, April 20 (IANS) Skipper Shubman Gill admitted that the Gujarat Titans (GT) conceded too many runs in the middle overs as they slumped to a heavy 99-run defeat against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Match 30 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday.

“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,” Gill said after the match.

Mumbai Indians had posted a commanding 199/5, riding on a sensational unbeaten 101 off just 45 balls from Tilak Varma, who also equalled the franchise record for the fastest century. Naman Dhir provided solid support with a 45-run knock, while Kagiso Rabada was the pick of the GT bowlers with three wickets.

Chasing a big target, the Gujarat Titans never really got going. Jasprit Bumrah struck on the very first ball, while Hardik Pandya removed Jos Buttler early to put MI firmly in control. Despite a brief fightback, GT kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

“I think there are a lot of lessons for us from this game. 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,” Gill said.

Mumbai Indians’ bowlers dominated the chase, with Ashwani Kumar starring with a superb four-wicket haul, while Mitchell Santner and Allah Ghazanfar chipped in with two wickets each to bundle out GT well short of the target.

Reflecting on what could have been done differently, Gill said his bowlers failed to adapt to the conditions. “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,” he said.

“I think we could have hit that length in the middle overs a bit more consistently, which we were not able to,” he added.

Gill also felt the pitch remained largely the same across both innings. “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,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, with this loss, the Gujarat Titans have moved down to sixth position in the points table with three wins in six matches. They will next face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on April 24.

–IANS

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