Lucknow:

It was Shardul Thakur, Digvesh Rathee and Avesh Khan who shone on the given occassion as they restricted a power-packed batting lineup of Mumbai under 200 and sealed their first win of the season at home after losing against Punjab Kings (PBKS).

A great death bowling display from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) bowlers propelled them to their second win of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 as they beat Hardik Pandya's Mumbai Indians by 12 runs at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium here on Friday, April 4, 2025.

Batting first, LSG, riding on half-centuries from openers Mitchell Marsh (60 off 31 balls) and Aiden Markram (53 off 38 balls), scored 203/8 despite MI skipper Hardik Pandya (5/36) taking his maiden five-wicket haul in T20 cricket, making him the first captain to take fifer in IPL.

MI were reduced to 17 for 2 in 2.2 overs with both openers -- Will Jacks (5) and Ryan Rickelton (10) -- getting out cheaply.

Jacks, who opened the innings in Rohit's absence, was the first to be dismissed off the bowling of Akash Deep who was playing his first match of the season after an injury lay-off.

Former MI skipper Rohit Sharma sat out of the contest after being hit on the knee during nets. In reply, MI were restricted to 191 for five despite Suryakumar scoring a 43-ball 67, studded with nine boundaries and a six. Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan and Digvesh Rathi took a wicket each for LSG.

Ryan Rickelton followed suit in the third over as Shardul claimed his wicket with Ravi Bishnoi, who came in as Impact Player in place of batter Mitchell Marsh, taking the catch. He dimissed in almost similar fashion the way Jacks got out.

MI were in a spot of bother but Suryakumar Yadav and Naman Dhir steadied the run chase. Dhir launched an attack on Akash Deep in the fourth over with two sixes and two boundaries in the first four deliveries to keep MI in the hunt. Suryakumar struck Avesh Khan for a six in the fifth over, and played second fiddle to Dhir.

MI were 64 for 2 at the end of powerplay, not much far behind the corresponding 69 for no loss of LSG in terms of runs at the same stage.

Leg-spinner Digvesh Rathi broke the third-wicket stand worth 69 runs. He cleaned up Dhir in the first ball of the ninth over.

Tilak Varma then came to the crease as Impact Sub for Vignesh Puthur as MI reached 101 for 3 at halfway stage. The asking rate kept on climbing as there was a dearth of boundaries in the middle overs.

Suryakumar, meanwhile, reached to his first fifty off 31 balls with a boundary off Bishnoi in the 14th over to keep MI in the hunt. It was not going to be easy for MI as they needed 61 from the last five overs and Suryakumar got out in an inopportune time with Avesh Khan getting rid of him in the 17th over.

MI needed 40 runs from the last three overs and 29 from the last two with Pandya and Varma having settled down nicely.

Shardul Thakur's economical effort in the penultimate over, giving away just seven runs, tilted the scale in favour of LSG. MI was then forced to retire out a struggling Varma out after an uncharacteristic slow batting as he scored 25 off 23 balls.

In came Mitchell Santner and MI needed 22 runs from the final over bowled by Avesh Khan.

Pandya hit a six off Khan in the first ball but the third and fourth deliveries were dot balls. MI needed 14 runs off the last two balls but Pandya could get only one in the fifth ball, ending his side's hopes of a win.

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