Lucknow Super Giants Clinch Third Spot Despite Mayank Yadav Injury Scare
Stoinis, Pandya Star as LSG Chase Down Modest MI Total
In his comeback game following a hip injury, Mayank Yadav was costly. Furthermore, Justin Langer, head coach of the Lucknow Super Giants, stated that the young pacer left the field midway through his final over on Tuesday due to what appeared to be a recurrence of the ailment and the need for a scan.
But the Super Giants triumphed, defeating the Mumbai Indians at the Ekana International Stadium by four wickets, and they now have 12 points, good for third place in the standings.
All-rounder and left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya wasn't even needed to bowl. Nevertheless, after being tested by the Super Giants, MI could only manage a meek 144/7.
Arshin Kulkarni, the Impact Player for Mayank, was lost by Lucknow in the opening over. However, Marcus Stoinis, who had earlier claimed the valuable scalp of Suryakumar Yadav, played a superb knock (62 off 45 balls) on a pitch that was not conducive to strokeplay. He also formed vital partnerships, scoring 58 with captain KL Rahul (28) and 41 with Deepak Hooda (18) for the second and third wickets, respectively.
It was a little tighter for Lucknow in the end after Stoinis was dismissed off Mohammad Nabi because to dot balls (16 overall in his period) from Jasprit Bumrah and MI skipper Hardik Pandya's stronger performance with the ball — following his first-ball dismissal. To Rahul's relief, who should feel slightly better after the T20 World Cup snub, Nicholas Pooran stuck with his team till the very end, helping them win with four balls remaining.
Earlier, MI managed to surpass 140 thanks to some strong finishing from left-hander Nehal Wadhera (46 off 41 balls) and Australian Tim David (35 not out off 18 balls). They won't be thrilled about that, especially with just over a month left for the T20 Cup, considering the kind of shots that both Rohit Sharma and Surya played that resulted in their dismissals within the first three overs.
After the Powerplay, MI was down at 28/4 with both batters using careless shots. One could tell which direction the game was going by then.
Mohsin Khan (2/36), an Afghan pacer, and Wadhera (wracked by a yorker after Rohit was removed from the game, were both impressive for Lucknow.
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