Rohit Sharma (81 off 50) rode his luck to play a fine knock after Jonny Bairstow (47 off 22) made instant impact on his Mumbai Indians debut to push them to an imposing 228 five in 20 overs.
Titans, who were sloppy in the field and with the ball, were able to take the game down to the wire with sensational batting from Sudharsan (80 off 49) before falling short at 208 for six to exit the tournament.
In the end, it was Mumbai Indians who won the key moments to advance in the competition. The victory took them to Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad on Sunday when they take on Punjab Kings.
Despite heavy dew, overcoming a such a steep target in a knock-out game needed a special effort which came from Sudharsan who put his team on course for an improbable chase until his dismissal in the 16th over.
Bumrah removed Washington Sundar (48 off 24) with his trademark yorker before Sudharsan missed scoop against Richard Gleeson to see his stumps dislodged, bringing Mumbai Indians back into the game.
While it lasted, it was a delight to see Sudharsan go about his business. In a game of pure muscle, Sudharsan was a picture of elegance and found gaps all around the park with pinpoint precision.
The equation came down to 36 from 12 balls with two left-handers Rahul Tewatia and Sherfane Rutherford in the middle. Mumbai Indians debutant Richard Gleeson bowled the final over with Titans needing 24 runs and he bowled three immaculate deliveries to ensure victory before hobbling out due to hamstring issue. In fact, Suryakumar Yadav, the vice-captain was marshalling resources in the final over and it was a brave punt to bring Gleeson in for three deliveries knowing that he is in considerable discomfort. Once the target was out of reach, Surya took him off and asked left-arm seamer Ashwini Kumar to complete formalities.
Earlier, on a surface which had less grass compared to the one used on Thursday, Mumbai Indians decided to bat first and the batters ensured the team goes into the break with an upper-hand.
Titans dropped three crucial catches — two of Rohit (81 off 50 ) and one of Suryakumar Yadav (33 off 20) – and produced another ordinary effort with the ball in the knock-out fixture.
Rohit was dropped twice in the powerplay before veteran made the opposition pay dearly for their on-field errors. On the first occasion, Gerald Coetzee dropped him in the deep and Kusal Mendis’ GT debut went all awry when he bungled a regulation take behind stumps off Mohammed Siraj.
It was Bairstow (47 off 22), who gave Mumbai Indians the momentum in the powerplay with some sublime hitting.
