MUMBAI: Outstanding fifties from Nicholas Pooran and K L Rahul guided Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to 214/6 in 20 overs against five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhade Stadium here on Friday.
Earlier in the evening, the MI skipper won the toss and elected to bowl first in the 67th clash of the ongoing 17th edition of the cash-rich league.
Openers K L Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal came out to, bat but the LSG didn’t get the start that they wanted as the visitors lost the first wicket on the third ball of the match when Padikkal was dismissed by right-arm seamer Nuwan Thushara.
After Padikkal’s dismissal, right-hand batter Marcus Stoinis joined Rahul. Both of them put on a partnership of 48 runs before Stoinis was dismissed by Piyush Chawla. Stoinis made 28 runs with the help of five fours. Following Stoinis’s wicket, Deepak Hooda came to bat. The Lucknow franchise completed their fifty in 6.3 overs.
Rahul and Hooda were able to put in just 20 runs as Chawla struck again when the team score was 69. The leg spinner dismissed Hooda at just 11 runs in the 10th over. With Hooda’s wicket, left-hand batter Nicholas Pooran came out in the middle. The Super Giants touched the 100-run mark in the 13th over.
Rahul and Pooran completed their 50-run partnership in 13.1 overs. The LSG side completed the 150-run mark in 14.4 overs as Pooran slammed a boundary on the off-spinner Naman Dhir.
Both batters completed their 100-run partnership in 15.5 overs as Rahul smashed a boundary on the bowling of Romario Shepherd.
Both of them put on a partnership of 109 runs before Pooran was dismissed after playing a marvellous knock of 75 runs in just 29 balls which was laced with eight maximums and five boundaries in the innings. He scored runs at a magnificent strike rate of 258.62.
Rahul was dismissed after playing a brilliant knock of 55 runs off 41 balls which included three fours and sixes each in his innings. In the end, Krunal Pandya and Ayus Badoni played valuable unbeaten knocks which took the side to 214/6 after the completion of the first innings.
The pick of the bowlers for Mumbai Indians were Nuwan Thushara and Piyush Chawla. Both of them snapped three wickets each in their spell of four overs
Brief score: Lucknow Super Giants 214/6 (Nicholas Pooran 75, KL Rahul 55, Marcus Stoinis 28; Nuwan Thushara 3/28) vs Mumbai Indians. (ANI)