IPL 2025: ‘Mumbai Indians on the Right Track Despite Early Losses’, Says Sanjay Manjrekar

March 30, 2025: Following Mumbai Indians’ defeat to Gujarat Titans in the ongoing IPL 2025, former Indian cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar shared his analysis of the match, highlighting the key aspects that contributed to MI’s loss.

In the high-scoring encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat Titans emerged victorious by 36 runs, thanks to fiery bowling spells by Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj, and a half-century by Sai Sudharsan. This win marked another chapter in Gujarat’s dominance over Mumbai, with MI continuing to struggle at this venue, where they have yet to win a match in IPL history (0-4).

Manjrekar pointed out that Mumbai’s batting woes were evident early on when they lost two quick wickets for just 35 runs. In contrast, Gujarat had managed to score 129 runs for their first two wickets, setting a strong foundation for their innings.

He further stated, “The challenge with building a partnership in a chase of over 190 is that the required run rate starts to suffer. And that’s exactly what happened. Despite the best efforts of Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav, the required run rate kept increasing, putting pressure on the batting unit.”

The former cricketer also credited Gujarat Titans for their superior batting, mentioning, “Gujarat Titans batted better and perhaps got 15 to 20 runs more than what would have been expected. Additionally, the dew never came in to help the Mumbai bowlers, making the chase even tougher.”

Despite the loss, Manjrekar remained optimistic about Mumbai’s chances, stating that these early losses were not unusual for the five-time IPL champions. He emphasized, “Two losses in the early stages are quite typical for Mumbai Indians. They still seem to be on the right track and have the potential to bounce back and win the title.”

Mumbai Indians, led by Hardik Pandya, will look to regroup and improve their performance in their upcoming matches as they aim to challenge for the IPL 2025 crown.