What happened the last time MI played LSG at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai?
Mumbai Indians (MI) are all set to host Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the iconic Wankhede Stadium on Friday (May 17). This will be the second encounter between the two sides this season. While the hosts have been knocked out of the playoffs race, the visitors would be looking for a victory to keep their hopes alive.
The last meeting between these two sides at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai was at the IPL 2022, where KL Rahul’s blitzkrieg helped the Lucknow-based franchise grab a memorable victory against the-then Rohit Sharma-led team.
After being put in to bat first, LSG got off to a shaky start, losing opener Quinton de Kock in the powerplay, courtesy of MI’s bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. But the early setback did not affect the visitors’ momentum much as KL Rahul got down to business from the word go.
What followed next was a composed 58-run second-wicket stand between Rahul and Manish Pandey, as LSG survived the first half of the innings without losing further wickets. MI bowlers Kieron Pollard and Daniel Sams were then quick enough to initiate a collapse as LSG dropped from 85/1 to 126/5 in five overs.
While no middle-order batter could manage to put forth a formidable partnership with Rahul in the middle, the wicketkeeper-batter kept the runs flowing by hitting the bowlers all around the field. The LSG skipper, in the final over, reached the three-figure mark and notched up his second ton against MI that season.
Even after several dents to their batting unit, LSG finished with 168/6 on the scoreboard at the end of 20 overs, with Rahul scoring a major chunk of runs with his 103*(62). Pollard was the pick of the bowlers as he scalped two wickets in two overs, giving away just eight runs.
Krunal Pandya acts as wrecker-in-chief for LSG with 3/19
MI’s start to the chase was terrific as the-then skipper Rohit Sharma took charge while Ishan Kishan played second fiddle. Though LSG bowlers failed to pick up a wicket in the powerplay, the misery ended when they forced a collapse, and MI dropped from 49/1 in the eighth over to 58/3 in the 10th.
Some contributions from Tilak Varma and Pollard in the middle overs kept MI’s hopes alive, but their wickets snatched the game away from the home side. The West Indies all-rounder struggled with the bat and eventually walked back to the dugout in the final over.
With LSG bowlers, especially former MI player Krunal Pandya, striking at regular intervals, the target kept increasing while the overs kept reducing. LSG eventually bagged a 36-run victory as KL Rahul’s magnificent ton earned him the Player of the Match award.