A no-show by Mumbai Indians (MI) batters not only nudged the side closer to the brink of elimination but gifted a four-wicket victory to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their Indian Premier League match at the Ekana Cricket Stadium here on Tuesday.
On a day when India announced the T20 World Cup side, its captain, vice-captain, and number four fell for only 14 runs in Mumbai’s meagre display with the willow.
Rohit Sharma flagged off MI’s essay with an inventive paddle sweep off Mohsin Khan but things spiralled out of control when he sliced the next delivery to the cover fielder.
Suryakumar Yadav followed in the same vein getting strangled down leg three deliveries after smoking a half-tracker over mid wicket.
Hardik Pandya registered his third golden duck of IPL. | Photo Credit: AP
Lucknow had a foot on Mumbai’s neck when Ravi Bishnoi’s direct hit charging in from point caught Tilak Varma short of the striker’s end. Hardik Pandya’s golden duck meant the visitor hobbled to 28 for four by the end of the PowerPlay.
Matters could have been worse for Mumbai had Ishan Kishan’s miscued pull shot been lapped up by Ashton Turner at deep mid wicket, with the team’s total on 41.
Kishan’s match-saving 53-run vigil with Nehal Wadhera (46, 41b, 4x4, 2x6) helped Mumbai crawl its way out of trouble before some rearguard muscle from Tim David (35 n.o., 18, 3x4, 1x6) took MI to 144 for seven, putting up some semblance of a fight.
In its pursuit, LSG needed back-to-back pull shots from Marcus Stoinis (62, 45b, 7x4, 2x6) off Gerald Coetzee in the fourth over to break the snooze that fell upon it after the early wicket of debutant Arshin Kulkarni.
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Rahul took a leaf out of his partner’s book in the next over from Nuwan Thushara and pocketed 18 runs in boundaries, the highlight being a down-the-track clip behind square for six. Stoinis reserved his onslaught for Jasprit Bumrah too, picking the Purple Cap holder over the long-off fence at the slightest offer of length.
The LSG captain, however, perished trying to take on his counterpart Pandya, holing out inches inside the boundary line at deep mid wicket.
Deepak Hooda top-edging a cross-batted swat off Pandya to mid off could not slow down Stoinis either, who romped to a 39-ball fifty with a four and six off Mohammed Nabi.
The game was in the home team’s hand by the time Nabi prized out Stoinis’ wicket in the 15th over. The fall of Ashton Turner and Ayush Badoni in the space of six deliveries prolonged the match to a final over but could not prevent the inevitable.
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