Mumbai Indians secured their spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans as Akash Madhwal delivered outstanding figures of 5/5. In the Eliminator match on Wednesday, led by Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians triumphed over Lucknow Super Giants with a convincing 81-run victory. Although Marcus Stoinis top-scored with 40 runs, it proved insufficient against Mumbai Indians’ dominant performance.
Earlier, after Naveen-ul-Haq’s impressive four-wicket haul, Mumbai Indians made a strong comeback and set a target of 182/8 in 20 overs. Cameron Green contributed 41 runs, while Suryakumar Yadav slammed 33 runs. However, Naveen-ul-Haq’s crucial wickets restricted Mumbai Indians. Nevertheless, Nehal Wadhera played a vital role with a quick 23 runs off just 12 balls, ensuring a favorable outcome for the Rohit Sharma-led team.
In the crucial clash on Wednesday, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), led by Krunal Pandya, aim to continue their winning streak against five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI). LSG secured the third spot in the group stage with 17 points from 14 matches, while MI clinched their place on the final day with a vital win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. MI had a slow start to the tournament, but gradually found their momentum and the right team combination. Despite bowling injuries, the MI batsmen performed well and carried them into the playoffs.
MI holds the advantage of experience in such crucial matches, while LSG still needs to prove themselves in knockout encounters. Despite missing KL Rahul, LSG has performed admirably under Krunal Pandya’s captaincy, with their overseas star batsmen consistently delivering. Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, and Nicholas Pooran are in good form, but LSG’s overseas fast-bowling option remains a concern as Naveen-ul-Haq has struggled to make an impact with the ball.
With Mumbai’s batting lineup finding its groove, LSG’s bowlers are well aware of the challenge they face in containing the likes of Rohit Sharma and company if they get going.
The tall Australian all-rounder, Cameron Green, has made a significant contribution, smashing an unbeaten century in MI’s last league game against Sunrisers Hyderabad before Gujarat Titans (GT) defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Green, along with the resurgent Suryakumar Yadav (511 runs, one century, four fifties), skipper Rohit Sharma (313 runs), and Ishan Kishan (439 runs), will be key batters for MI in the do-or-die clash against LSG.
Teams:
Lucknow Super Giants:
- Krunal Pandya (c)
- Ayush Badoni
- Karan Sharma
- Manan Vohra
- Quinton de Kock
- Marcus Stoinis
- Krishnappa Gowtham
- Deepak Hooda
- Kyle Mayers
- Avesh Khan
- Mohsin Khan
- Mark Wood
- Mayank Yadav
- Ravi Bishnoi
- Nicholas Pooran
- Yash Thakur
- Romario Shepherd
- Daniel Sams
- Amit Mishra
- Prerak Mankad
- Swapnil Singh
- Naveen-ul-Haq
- Yudhvir Charak
- Karun Nair
Mumbai Indians:
- Rohit Sharma (c)
- Chris Jordan
- Arshad Khan
- Jason Behrendorff
- Dewald Brevis
- Piyush Chawla
- Tim David
- Raghav Goyal
- Cameron Green
- Ishan Kishan (wk)
- Duan Jansen
- Chris Jordan
- Kumar Kartikeya
- Akash Madhwal
- Riley Meredith
- Shams Mulani
- Ramandeep Singh
- Sandeep Warrier
- Hrithik Shokeen
- Tristan Stubbs
- Arjun Tendulkar
- Tilak Varma
- Vishnu Vinod
- Nehal Wadhera
- Suryakumar Yadav
