Tilak Varma retired out while Hardik Pandya took charge of strike rotation, but their late push wasn’t enough as Mumbai Indians (MI) fell short in their pursuit of a comeback victory against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The win marked LSG’s sixth triumph in seven encounters against the five-time IPL champions, powered by solid half-centuries from openers Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram in Lucknow on Friday.
For MI, Naman Dhir blazed his way to a quickfire 46, while Suryakumar Yadav continued his resurgence with a fluent 67 off 43 balls. However, LSG’s death bowling unit held their nerve and outclassed the seasoned MI batting line-up at the finish.
Needing 52 runs from the final four overs, ESPNcricinfo’s win predictor gave MI a 36.9% chance. But with Suryakumar and Tilak in the middle and Hardik yet to come, the contest felt much more balanced—almost a toss-up.
Avesh and Thakur Seal the Deal for LSG
Avesh Khan swung the momentum firmly in Lucknow Super Giants’ favour by removing Suryakumar Yadav at the start of the 17th over. Suryakumar attempted a premeditated sweep to a delivery that was well outside the off-stump, only to find a fielder at deep-backward square leg.
Although Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma managed a boundary each in that over, they struggled to make an impact against Digvesh Rathi in the next. Shardul Thakur then stepped up in the 19th, executing pinpoint yorkers—both at the stumps and wide outside off. With 24 runs needed off the final seven balls, MI made the bold call to retire Tilak out and send in Mitchell Santner.
Santner could only manage two runs off the last ball of Thakur’s over, which cost just seven runs in total—a decisive contribution at a crunch moment. With 22 needed off the final over, Hardik started with a six over cover, but Avesh stuck to his plan, firing in yorkers and conceding just three runs off the next five balls. LSG wrapped up a 12-run win.
Suryakumar, Dhir Light Up the Chase but Fall Short in the End
Despite a shaky start, Mumbai Indians (MI) clawed their way back into the contest, thanks to a spirited counterattack by Naman Dhir and Suryakumar Yadav. After openers Will Jacks and Ryan Rickelton fell in near-identical fashion—both flicking hard-length deliveries to deep-backward square leg—Dhir and Suryakumar took charge of the innings.
Dhir looked in sublime touch, remaining composed at the crease and unleashing boundaries both down the ground and through the leg side, racing to 30 off just nine balls. At the other end, Suryakumar effortlessly swatted Avesh Khan over the leg side as MI raised their fifty within five overs. The momentum carried through as Akash Deep and Ravi Bishnoi were taken for two boundaries apiece just after the powerplay.
However, the breakthrough came when Digvesh Rathi disrupted the rhythm with a leg-spinner’s carrom ball that skidded in from a shortish length, sneaking past Dhir’s flick and crashing into the stumps. Despite the setback, Suryakumar continued to control the tempo, showcasing his trademark wrist work and placement. His twin boundaries in the 11th over—one square and the other through cover—underlined his form. Tilak Varma added an early boundary but struggled to kick on.
MI amassed 88 for 1 during the middle overs without hitting a single six. With set batters at the crease, they appeared poised for a strong finish, but Lucknow Super Giants’ death bowlers once again proved too good, snuffing out the chase and sealing a hard-fought win.
Marsh, Markram Lay the Groundwork for LSG’s Strong Start
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) got off to a blazing start after being asked to bat first, piling up 69 runs in the powerplay. Mitchell Marsh was the driving force behind the charge, hammering 60 off just 30 deliveries, laced with nine boundaries and two towering sixes.
Marsh had an early slice of luck—he edged Trent Boult in the very first over, but the faint nick went unnoticed by both the bowler and the fielders. Capitalizing on the reprieve, he punished anything full, including a standout lofted off-drive for six against Boult in the third over. When Mitchell Santner entered the attack in the fifth, Marsh effortlessly dispatched two back-foot boundaries to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Ashwani Kumar started tightly, but his second over was dismantled as Marsh smashed 23 runs off it, finding the fence twice down the ground—once through square leg and then through cover—as he raced to a 27-ball half-century.
However, just as he looked set for a big one, Marsh fell against the flow of play, mistiming a shot straight back to debutant Vignesh Puthur in the seventh over, offering a simple return catch. Despite the setback, his explosive knock had already laid a solid foundation for LSG’s innings.
Hardik Strikes Regularly, but LSG Keep Momentum Going
LSG continued to build on their strong start, with Nicholas Pooran wasting no time in asserting himself—dispatching Mitchell Santner for a four and a six early in his innings. However, Hardik Pandya’s clever change of pace halted Pooran’s charge, as a slower bouncer led to his dismissal. Hardik then struck again, removing the out-of-form Rishabh Pant, who misfired a flick and offered a simple catch to mid-off.
While Aiden Markram had earlier launched a couple of sixes alongside Pant, he soon shifted gears to play the anchor role as Ayush Badoni took over the scoring duties. Markram reached his half-century in 34 balls, bringing up the milestone off the 99th delivery of the innings. Initially cautious, Badoni was on 6 off 9 balls before he exploded with three consecutive boundaries off Santner—who endured a tough outing, ending with figures of 0 for 46, his third-most expensive in T20s.
Badoni’s momentum was cut short in the 16th over when, after successfully scooping Ashwani Kumar for a boundary, he attempted the same shot again and was caught behind the next ball. Hardik returned in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah to bowl two crucial overs at the death, picking up three wickets. He started by removing Markram with a well-disguised off-cutter and, during overs 16 to 19, kept the scoring in check—just 29 runs and four boundaries were managed in that phase.
However, David Miller provided a late flourish in the final over, smashing a six and a four off Hardik to cross the 3000-run mark in the IPL. Though Hardik responded with back-to-back wickets of Miller and Akash, he still leaked 15 runs in the last over, as LSG edged past the 190-mark and set MI a stiff target.
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