Lucknow: Marcus Stoinis showcased his batting prowess with a controlled half-century, while Mohsin Khan delivered a crucial spell with the ball during the first innings, propelling the Lucknow Super Giants to a thrilling four-wicket victory against the Mumbai Indians at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
LSG faced an early setback as debutant Arshin Kulkarni was dismissed for a golden duck in the opening over by Nuwan Thushara, marking the latter’s maiden wicket in the league. Despite the early blow, skipper KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis steadied the innings with a solid 58-run partnership, laying a strong foundation for the chase.
Marcus Stoinis showcased his batting prowess with a remarkable knock of 62 runs, leading LSG’s charge with the bat. Although KL Rahul’s sturdy 28-run contribution came to an end when Hardik Pandya dismissed him, Stoinis continued to anchor the innings from one end.
Mohammad Nabi’s experience came to the fore as he managed to break Stoinis’ resilience, but Nicholas Pooran’s composed stay at the crease ensured LSG’s victory. With this win, LSG secured their sixth triumph at home, propelling them to the third spot in the IPL 2024 standings with 12 points from 10 matches.
Earlier in the first innings, LSG displayed a formidable performance as their bowlers struck early in the powerplay, causing significant damage to the MI lineup. The relentless pressure applied by LSG’s bowlers made it difficult for MI to stage a recovery throughout the match, ultimately restricting them to a total of 144/7.
Opting to bowl first, LSG capitalised on their strong start as Marcus Stoinis and Ravi Bishnoi claimed key wickets of Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav. Hardik Pandya’s dismissal by Naveen-ul-Haq further dampened MI’s hopes, with the team struggling to recover from a poor powerplay performance.
Despite the early setbacks, MI found some respite through Nehal Wadhera’s gritty innings and contributions from Ishan Kishan. However, LSG’s relentless bowling attack, led by Mohsin Khan, kept the pressure on MI. Tim David’s blistering 35 runs off just 18 balls provided MI with a respectable total of 144/7.
Mohsin Khan led the charge with two crucial wickets, supported by Marcus Stoinis, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mayank Yadav, and Ravi Bishnoi, who each scalped one wicket.
LSG skipper KL Rahul won the toss and elected to bowl first against Hardik Pandya-led MI. After winning the toss LSG captain KL Rahul said, “We will bowl first. Wicket looks good, want to put their batters under pressure and look to chase it. We’ll try to stay as balanced as possible. Need to come out and put up show. We have had a few good victories. Few changes, Quinton misses out. Kulkarni is in the team. Mayank is back as well. He has bowled really well, he has a huge impact. I have been pushing the physios and medical team. Mayank is eager to go. Important that he gets it out of his head that he had an injury.”
MI skipper at the toss said, “Looks alright. Looks a slower surface, let’s see how it plays. We know that all games are do or die. Need to focus on one game at a time. I think everytime we have backed our playing XI. The injuries have cost us. Crucial players are all secured. It’s a long tournament, we have believed in all our players everytime we have played.”
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Ishan Kishan(w), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Nehal Wadhera, Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Gerald Coetzee, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah
Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): KL Rahul(w/c), Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Ashton Turner, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav
