The Mullanpur crowd witnessed a high-octane Eliminator clash in IPL 2025 on Friday as Mumbai Indians held their nerve in the death overs to edge past Gujarat Titans by 20 runs and march into Qualifier 2. But amid the crunch moments of the match, a fleeting verbal exchange between Jasprit Bumrah and Rahul Tewatia added drama to the already tensed contest.
The incident took place in the 18th over of the GT innings. Tewatia, who had earlier launched Bumrah for a six, looked eager to seize the moment again. However, after failing to connect with the next ball, Tewatia uttered a few words in frustration that seemed to catch Bumrah’s ear.
“Don’t say this to me,” Bumrah shot back, turning around with a glare, visibly displeased. But the tension dissolved almost as quickly as it had escalated. Tewatia clarified that his words were self-directed.
“Tujhe nahi keh raha tha, khud ko bol raha tha (I wasn’t saying it to you, I was saying it to myself),” he said, prompting a smile from Bumrah, who raised a hand in acknowledgement and walked back to his mark.
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By then, the match had swung multiple times. Chasing 214, GT were rocked early by Trent Boult, who dismissed Shubman Gill for 1 in just the fourth ball of the innings. But a counterattack by Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar kept the chase alive.
With 45 needed off the last three overs, GT banked on Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan. Bumrah returned for the 18th and conceded just nine runs despite the six from Tewatia, leaving GT with a daunting 36 to get off the final 12 balls.
Boult removed Rutherford early in the 19th, but Shahrukh smashed a six off the final ball, dragging GT within 24 of the target for the last over. But the ask proved too steep as MI sealed the game, dashing GT’s hopes of a second IPL crown. MI will now face Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad on June 1 for a place in the final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
