Gill ton fires Gujarat to IPL finals

• Becomes leading batsman this season with 851 runs
• In a stunning spell of 2.2 overs Mohit Sharma takes 5 wickets for 10

AFP: Red-hot Shubman Gill smashed 129 off 60 balls to power Gujarat Titans to beat Mumbai Indians and reach 2023 IPL finals.

Titans amassed 233-3 as Gill hit 10 sixes in his third century in four innings and put on a second-wicket stand of 138 with Sai Sudharsan, who made 43, to tear into the opposition attack in Ahmedabad. Mumbai Indians were bowled out for 171.

He became the leading batsman this season with 851 runs, surpassing Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Faf du Plessis (730), before he reached his IPL best and the top score of this season.

Titans will meet M.S. Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings in the final on Sunday at the same venue.

Opener Gill, who is tipped as the future of Indian batting, made the most of a reprieve on 30 when Tim David dropped him off Chris Jordan.

Gill brought up his fifty in 32 balls and then exploded to smash sixes and reach his hundred in 49 balls, taking a bow amid a standing ovation.

He finally fell to Akash Madhwal and Sudharsan retired out before skipper Hardik Pandya, who made an unbeaten 13-ball 28, and Rashid Khan finished the innings on a high with 19 runs in the final over.

Table-toppers Gujarat, who had a fairytale debut season last year when they won the title in front of their home crowd, have got a second shot at making the final after they lost the first playoff to Chennai.

Mumbai Indians were bowled out for 171 in 18.2 overs.

In a stunning spell of 2.2 overs Mohit Sharma took 5 wickets for 10.

For Mumbai Indians top scorers were Suryakumar Yadav  61 and Tina Varna 43.