LUCKNOW: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) bowlers’ strikes in the powerplay dented Mumbai Indians (MI) so hard that the five-time champions could never recover against the home side. However, Nehal Wadhera’s vigilant innings of 46 and Tim David’s blitz cameo powered MI to 144/7 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday.
For LSG, Mohsin Khan bagged two wickets while Marcus Stoinis, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mayank Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi scalped one each. Wadhera scored a gritty 46, Ishan Kishan played a crucial knock of 32, and Tim David cracked a blistering 35 runs in 18 balls to power Mumbai to a competitive total.
Opting to bowl first, a brilliant catch by Marcus Stoinis off Mohsin Khan’s delivery marked an early end to Rohit Sharma’s stay at the crease in the 2nd over.
LSG extended their strong start as Stoinis bagged the big wicket of Suryakumar Yadav, spoiling the hopes further for MI’s big powerplay total plans. In the 3rd over, Ravi Bishnoi completed a sensational direct hit to send Tilak Varma packing after scoring just 10 runs.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya struggled for form in IPL 2024, and the dismissal just hours after the T20 World Cup squad announcement was the last thing that he needed. LSG pacer Naveen-ul-Haq bamboozled Pandya completely, and KL Rahul made a sharp catch behind the stumps.
After Mumbai lost four wickets and slammed just 28 runs in the powerplay, Nehal Wadhera and Ishan Kishan, with their occasional boundaries, kept MI’s hopes alive.
In the 9th over, Kishan was given a lifeline as his catch was dropped by Ashton Turner on 8. Wadhera and Kishan tried to go for the big hits, but MI never recovered after losing four wickets in powerplay.
Ravi Bishnoi bagged his first wicket of the night as he removed Kishan for 32. In the 15th over, Wadhera hammered speedster Mayank Yadav for two maximums and one boundary, gathering 16 runs. Wadhera kept the run flow going for the MI, and the batter took Mumbai past the 100-run mark.
Mohsin’s sneering yorker ended Wadhera’s stay at the crease as the batter went back to the pavilion after scoring 46 runs. In the 19th over, Mayank Yadav joined the wicket-taking party as he removed new batter Mohammad Nabi for one run. After getting his first wicket, Mayank walked off the field without finishing his over.
In the last over, Tim David smoked Mohsin for 17 runs with the help of two boundaries, powering his team to 144/7 in 20 overs.
Brief score: Mumbai Indians 144/7 (Tim David 35*, Nehal Wadhera 46; Mohsin Khan 2-36) vs Lucknow Super Giants. (ANI)