The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) secured a thrilling 12-run win over Mumbai Indians (MI) on Friday at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, thanks to a disciplined bowling effort that defended a challenging total of 203.
Chasing 203, Mumbai got off to a shaky start, losing both Will Jacks (5 off 7) and Ryan Rickelton (10 off 5) within the first 10 deliveries, with the score reading just 17.
Suryakumar Yadav led the fightback with a stylish 67 off 43 balls, while Naman Dhir added a brisk 46 off 24 balls. Captain Hardik Pandya chipped in with 28 off 16, and Tilak Varma added 25 off 23, but the momentum wasn’t enough to take MI over the line.
In the 19th over, Tilak Varma was retired out after scoring 25 runs, with MI needing 24 runs off the last 7 balls. The final over was bowled by Avesh Khan, with MI requiring 22. Despite conceding a six off the first delivery, Avesh held his nerve and gave away only 9 runs in the over.
On the bowling front, LSG saw contributions from multiple bowlers:
- Shardul Thakur: 1/40
- Akash Deep: 1/46
- Avesh Khan: 1/40
- Digvesh Rathi: 1/21
Earlier in the match, MI won the toss and opted to field first. However, LSG openers Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram came out blazing, taking the score to 50 in just 5.1 overs and reaching 69 by the end of the powerplay.
Marsh scored a blistering 60 off 31 balls, including 9 fours and 2 sixes, before falling to Vignesh Puthur. Despite losing wickets in the middle—including Nicholas Pooran (12) and Rishabh Pant (2), both to Pandya—Markram anchored the innings with a composed 53 off 38, supported by Ayush Badoni (30 off 19) and David Miller (27).
Hardik Pandya was the standout bowler for MI, finishing with a five-wicket haul (5/36) in four overs. The remaining wickets were taken by Vignesh Puthur, Ashwani Kumar, and Trent Boult.
Brief Score:
Lucknow Super Giants: 203/8 (Mitchell Marsh 60, Aiden Markram 53; Hardik Pandya 5/36)
Mumbai Indians: 191/5 (Suryakumar Yadav 67, Naman Dhir 46; Digvesh Rathi 1/21)