Sunil Gavaskar goes all out attacking Mumbai Indians after poor start to IPL 2025 campaign

Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was not impressed with the Mumbai Indians’ fielding efforts during their crushing 36-run defeat against the Gujarat Titans in their IPL 2025 clash on Saturday, March 29, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The Mumbai Indians versus Gujarat Titans clash was an enthralling one for the fans, but the host had the last laugh, winning the game by 36 runs to open their account in the ongoing IPL 2025 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This loss pushed the Mumbai Indians to the ninth spot in the points table.

Sunil Gavaskar fumes as Mumbai Indians' fielding blunders gift Gujarat Titans crucial runs in IPL 2025 clash

Well, Sunil Gavaskar was particularly critical of the unwanted five runs that were added to Deepak Chahar’s account during the match in Ahmedabad. Mumbai Indians' sloppy fielding cost them big time in a moment of utter chaos on the field at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

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In a shocking lapse of awareness, an overthrow gifted five crucial runs to the Titans, leaving Gavaskar stunned. It all happened when Sai Sudharsan pulled a delivery from Deepak Chahar. Fielder Naman Dhir threw the ball towards the non-striker's end, hoping for a run-out.

But the throw missed the stumps, and, to everyone’s disbelief, no one was backing up. The ball raced away to the boundary, leaving Chahar visibly frustrated. The former Indian captain couldn’t hold back his anger after witnessing the embarrassing moment from the MI, calling it "terrible cricket" and saying how unfair it was for Chahar to take the hit on his bowling figures.

That's absolutely terrible cricket: Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar said while commentating on Star Sports, “That's absolutely terrible cricket. No wonder Deepak Chahar is not happy; it (the five runs) goes against his name!”

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya admitted that his team fell short in both batting and bowling against his former franchise, GT. He was also disappointed with the fielding efforts, saying basic mistakes cost them an extra 20-25 runs, which made a big difference in the game.

Hardik Pandya said at the post-match presentation, “Tough to put it together. I think in batting and bowling, we were 15-20 runs short in both places. 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.”

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Hardik Pandya hails GT openers and urged MI batters to step up and take responsibility

Pandya praised the Gujarat Titans' openers for their exceptional batting, saying they managed to score runs without taking too many risks, putting MI on the back foot early on. He stressed that the team needs to take collective responsibility and hopes the batters step up in the next IPL 2025 game.

The Mumbai Indians' captain added, “The GT openers batted brilliantly, only a couple of deliveries here and there. They were quite exceptional; they didn't take many chances; they did the right stuff; and they were able to get runs without playing many risky shots.

We have been doing catch-up since then. At the moment, we all need to take responsibility; it's still early stages. Batters have to come to the party; hopefully, they do that soon.”

Talking about the pitch, Pandya noted that slower deliveries were tricky to handle, as some balls bounced unexpectedly while others stayed low. He also acknowledged that the GT bowlers executed the plan well, similar to his approach with the ball.