The stage was set for high-drama when former Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya returned to Ahmedabad as the Mumbai Indians captain on opening night of IPL 2024. However, it was the Titans who emerged victorious in a last-over thriller, defeating MI by 6 runs.
Pandya received a mixed reception from the home crowd, with boos mixing in with cheers. He seemed poised to silence his critics with a match-winning knock but fell just short in the final over. Chasing 169, MI looked in control thanks to debutant Azam Khan's fine 42 before the Titans fought back through tight bowling from Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore.
Umesh Yadav then held his nerve superbly under pressure in the last over to secure an unlikely win for the Titans. Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah had put MI on top with an incredible spell of fast bowling, taking 3 key wickets. But veteran campaigners Miller and Sudarshan guided GT to a competitive total.
In the end, it was Pandya vs his former teammates and employers, and while he nearly inspired an amazing MI win, the Titans showed their quality and experience to edge out Mumbai in a nail-biting thriller. Pandya will hope to turn the tables when these sides meet again but it was headaches all around on his emotional return to Ahmedabad.
