Lucknow Super Giants have edged closer to the playoff spot after registering an demolishing win against Mumbai Indians at Ekana.
While Mumbai arrived in the match with no alternative to winning, things did not go well from the toss as they were given the opportunity to bat first on a slow Lucknow deck and their bowlers quickly stamped their authority. During the powerplay, Mumbai lost four wickets and never looked comfortable. Despite a quickfire run by Nehal Wadhera and Tim David, they could only kick their team to 144 runs in the end. 
In return, Lucknow were expected to cruise past the chase but Mumbai’s bowlers led by Hardik Pandya put on a good show. In the first over, debutant Arshin Kulkarni was sent to the dugout, which caused great chaos, but Stoinis and Rahul calmed things down. Hardik Pandya’s middle overs burst, however, gave Mumbai an outside chance, but Pooran and Krunal’s calm heads helped Lucknow win.
Despite Mumbai showing good fighting, Lucknow won the match. However, things could have been very different. Here are five moments that defined the match.
Lucknow’s early blow
Everyone expected the match to be a neck-to-neck affair when it started, but Lucknow appeared not willing to give Mumbai batters any hope. Mohsin Khan took Rohit Sharma early and put Mumbai on the back foot. From the other end, Marcus Stoinis joined the party and sent dangerous Surya Kumar Yadav to the dugout. Mumbai could not have imagined that run-out would worsen their night, and it did. With his departure, Tilak Varma gave Lucknow a huge advantage in the must-win match.
Bishnoi and Naveen’s middle overs’ drought
Mumbai looked to make their case in middle overs but Lucknow’s bowlers seemed in no mood to settle down their tempo. Naveen and Bishnoi never let any break the shackles and continuously pressed Mumbai under their pressure. As a result of Bishnoi and Naveen’s middle overs crises, Lucknow’s chase was efficient because Mumbai couldn’t put more runs on board. Naveen finished with just 15 runs off 3.5 overs, while Bishnoi finished with one wicket and 28 runs off four overs.
Gerald Coetzee’s leaky powerplay over
After losing an early wicket in their chase, Lucknow were looking under enormous pressure due to a slow pitch. At only 11 runs after three overs, Lucknow desperately sought a break, and Coetzee’s over came just when they needed it. After conceding 15 runs and shifting the run, Nuwan Thusara conceded 20 runs in the next over to remove all pressure on the team.
Stoinis’ handy hand during middle overs
Since being promoted to number 3 in Lucknow’s team, Marcus Stoinis has performed beautifully. On Lucknow’s tricky wicket, everyone questioned his ability to tackle spin, but Stoinis was faultless in handling it. 62 runs off 45 balls were scored by Stoinis, who all but knocked Mumbai out of the game.
Pooran’s calm head
At first, Lucknow seemed in command, but Mumbai gave them a little heartache in the end. After Mumbai lost set batter Stoinis, Mumbai pulled back and the pitch also started causing problems. With 23 runs needed off 24 balls, Bumrah bowled and conceded only one run, giving Lucknow a huge late scare. In that moment, Munbai could have snatched the game from the mouth of defeat had they lost Pooran. But the Caribbean batter finished calmly.
In spite of having one of the strongest squads on paper, Mumbai Indians are virtually out of the tournament and looking back, their star players did not live up to expectations. The Mumbai Indians will now host Kolkata Knight Riders on May 3rd. Meanwhile, Lucknow have taken a significant step towards qualifying for the playoffs and needs two more victories. Kolkata Knight Riders will also face Lucknow on May 5th at Ekana.
