IPL 2023, Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Eliminator: Cameron Green-Suryakumar Yadav's 66-run stand, Naveen-ul-Haq's 4-38 and Akash Madhwal's 5-5 are top performances. Mumbai Indians beat LSG in eliminator and book a berth for qualifier 2.
Brief Scores: MI 182/8 (Green 41, Sky 33, Naveen 4/38) beat LSG 101 (Stoinis 40, Madhwal 5/5) by 81 runs.
Player of the Match: Akash Madhwal (5/5 in 3.3 overs)
Five-time champions, Mumbai Indians (MI) locked horns with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), who made their second consecutive playoffs, during the eliminator of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. LSG have won all three encounters against MI.
Fiery MI bowling carries them to qualifier 2 to face GT
MI captain Rohit Sharma on winning the toss opted to bat first expecting the track to get slow as the game progressed. While LSG went with an unchanged eleven, Mumbai brought back Hrithik Shokeen & Tilak Verma while LSG brought back Deepak Hooda.
Decided to bat first, some collective batting from MI carried them to 62/2 in the powerplay before the 66-run partnership between Cameron Green and Suryakumar Yadav stretched them to 98/2 in 10 overs. LSG pulled it back to keep MI on 131/4 in 15 overs before some late flourish fired them to 182/8 in their allotted 20 overs.
Chasing 183, Lucknow went off to a flying start with 54/2 in the powerplay before some quick wickets helped Mumbai pull them back to 75/5 at the halfway stage. The injured giants with bizarre run-outs were bundled out for 101, handing MI an 81-run victory.
Talking Point: Madhwal’s outstanding spell and Nehal Wadhera’s impactful season
LSG has made one of the best uses of the ‘Impact Player in the form of Nehal Wadhera who has been fantastic in scoring some quick runs. In this game too, he added some vital 23 runs in 12 balls at the death phase to strike at a rate of 145.40, scoring 237 runs in 13 games throughout the whole season.
One of another impressive member for MI in this season has been their young pace bowling star, Akash Madhwal who has bowled some outstanding spells with hostile pace and MI will hope to see him with the same energy in the next season.
Let’s scan the top three performances from the game between LSG and MI
An impressive 66-run stand between Sky and Green
Even after a decent start, MI struggled suddenly to be on 38/2 in the fifth over when both inform batters Suryakumar Yadav and Cameron Green met in the middle.
Green began with two boundaries against Naveen-ul-Haq through backward point and third man region before Suryakumar showed his class ramping Yash Thakur over the head of the keeper for a six. Green smashed Krunal Pandya for three consecutive fours over wide mid-on and cover-point region. Green now has scored unbeaten 15 runs in 5 balls against K Pandya.
Suryakumar Yadav cleared the fine-leg boundary for a six against Mohsin Khan who was again smacked for the same result over deep square leg by Green. Sky lofted Ravi Bishnoi over deep cover for a four to add 66-runs 38 balls for the third wicket with Cameron Green.
Sky who was dismissed on 33 in 20 balls thanks to a couple of boundaries and two sixes now has 3188 IPL runs in 138 balls while Green who ended on 41 in 23 balls shouldering on six fours and one over boundary now has 422 runs in 15 games of the season.
Naveen-ul-Haq was impressed with the figures of 4/38
Naveen-ul-Haq has been decent for LSG this season with the job of drying up the runs but he was required to take wickets in this vital encounter and he did that exactly.
On the second ball of his first over, he sent back Rohit Sharma on 11 who failing to get elevation drove the ball into the hands of the cover fielder. He broke the dangerous-looking 66-run partnership by deceiving Suryakumar Yadav on 33 who lifted the slower ball in the hands of the long-off fielder.
Two balls later with another slower delivery, Naveen broke the stumps of Cameron Green on 41 before ending his spell by pocketing the wicket of Tilak Verma on 26 who chipped the slower ball in the hands of the long-off fielder.
Naveen-ul-Haq who finished with figures of 4/38 in his four overs now has 11 IPL wickets in eight games at an economy of 7.82.
Read More: IPL 2023, MI vs SRH: Green 100* keeps Mumbai alive with vital victory; MI await RCB-GT result
Akash Madhwal changed the flow of the game with a record of 5/5
Akash Madhwal has been in terrific touch with the ball for the Mumbai Indians, bowling some terrific spells with hostile pace and energy, and on a vital evening, he continued the same form.
Madhwal on the fifth ball of his first over drew the first blood for MI sending back Prerak Mankad on 3 who slashed the ball in the hands of the fielder, stationed at the deep region.
Coming back for his second over, he blew away the stumps of Ayush Badoni on 1 who just slogged a ball that stayed a little low. On the very next delivery, Madhwal with a beautiful out swinging delivery found the edge of informing Nicholas Pooran on a golden duck.
In his third over too, Madhwal with a slower ball foxed Ravi Bishnoi who hit the ball in the palm of the long-on fielder before picking his maiden IPL five-wicket haul breaking the furniture of Mohsin Khan.
Madhwal who ended with mind-boggling figures of 5/5 in his 3.3 overs, now has 13 wickets in seven IPL games of this season. Madhwal also joins Anil Kumble for the best IPL figures by an Indian.
What’s to come
Gujarat Titans will now face Mumbai Indians during the second qualifier on May 26 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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