Aakash Chopra, the ex-India cricketer, has pointed the finger at Gujarat Titans‘ (GT) fielding performance as a key factor behind their defeat to Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL 2025 Eliminator. He pointed out that the dropped catches allowed Rohit Sharma to punish them.
GT’s poor fielding contributed to MI’s imposing total of 228/5 in the second playoff match of IPL 2025, held in New Chandigarh on Friday, May 30. Shubman Gill and his side were restricted to 208/6 in their pursuit, falling short by 20 runs and were eliminated from the tournament.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra, the former India opener, discussed how the missed opportunities, particularly the chances given to Rohit Sharma, cost Gujarat Titans a victory in the IPL 2025 Eliminator.
“How can you win a match if you can’t hold on to catches? Agar doge jeevandan, to Rohit Sharma itna maarega ki yaad rakhega poora khaandan (If you keep giving lifelines, Rohit Sharma will punish you so much that your entire family will remember it),” he said, referring to the Gujarat Titans’ third consecutive loss.
“What’s going wrong with the Gujarat Titans? Even many Gujaratis might be wondering what’s happening. When you played at Wankhede, you dropped three catches in the powerplay. And here, you dropped two or three more. What’s going on?” he remarked.
Rohit Sharma was given two reprieves first by Gerald Coetzee when he had only three runs, and later by Kusal Mendis when he was on 12. Taking full advantage, the MI opener blasted 81 runs off 50 balls.