A last-over thriller was needed for Lucknow Super Giants to scrape out another victory against Mumbai Indians — this time by 12 runs. It marked LSG’s sixth win over MI in seven meetings.
In the final over, Hardik Pandya was unable to score the 22 runs required off the last six balls, as Avesh Khan kept him quiet with deceptive low full tosses. Additionally, LSG also had an extra fielder inside the 30-yard circle due to a slow over-rate penalty.
With the pitch holding its own, earlier LSG batters took the attack to MI’s bowlers, starting with Mitchell Marsh, who went hammer and tongs in the powerplay. The Australian, who was earlier saved by MI’s reluctance to review an edge on the fourth ball of the innings, punished anything loose. He smashed a 27-ball fifty—his third of the season—before going on to score 60 off 31 deliveries, with two sixes and nine fours at a strike rate of 193.55. His innings came to an end when he spooned a return catch to Vignesh Puthur.
From there, LSG stumbled slightly, losing Nicholas Pooran and Rishabh Pant cheaply. Pooran contributed 12 off 6 balls before falling to a short-pitched delivery from Hardik Pandya, while Pant was caught at mid-on after edging a slower-length delivery that held up in the pitch. Aiden Markram and Ayush Badoni then looked to steady the innings, with Badoni racing to 30 off 19.
Markram went on to score his first half-century of the season off 34 balls, helping LSG to reach a competitive total. He too fell to Hardik not long after reaching the milestone. Despite a few setbacks, LSG finished strongly, posting a total of 203, thanks to David Miller’s explosive cameo. He smashed 27 off 13 balls.
Captain Pandya ended the innings with his best-ever T20 figures, claiming his first five-wicket haul (5-36) in four overs. Earlier, Mumbai had won the toss and opted to bowl, with Rohit Sharma ruled out before the game due to a knee injury sustained in the nets. Despite a new opening pair, MI continued their trend of unstable starts.
Naman Dhir, promoted up the order, took the attack to Akash Deep, smacking him for 21 runs in an over. He raced to 46 off 24 balls before being bowled by Digvesh Rathi, who celebrated with his trademark notebook gesture. Impact player Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav tried to maintain the run rate, keeping the required rate under 12 after 12 overs.
SKY, looking composed at the crease and carrying momentum from his previous outing, scored his first fifty of the season off 31 balls. With Tilak struggling to rotate strike and the pressure of a steep chase mounting, SKY holed out while trying to lift Avesh Khan over deep backward square leg. With 29 needed off the final two overs, Shardul Thakur conceded only 7 runs in his penultimate over, prompting MI to retire Tilak, whose struggles continued on this batting-friendly Ekana surface.
Ultimately, the target proved too steep for Mumbai to chase down.
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