A combined bowling effort, followed by a composed fifty from Marcus Stoinis, saw us get over the line against the Mumbai Indians by four wickets at the BRSABV Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday. 

After opting to field first, our bowlers came to the party to keep Mumbai Indians to a manageable 144/7 in 20 overs. In reply, Marcus Stoinis led the batting effort with a well-made 62 that helped us see off the chase with four balls to spare.

The win has taken us to the third spot on the IPL 2024 points table with only the net run rate separating us and the second-placed Kolkata Knight Riders. We play the Knights in our final match at home on May 5 and it promises to be another blockbuster.

Bowlers render MI powerless in powerplay

With big hitters like Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya in their ranks, MI came to Lucknow with a formidable batting line-up. However, all four batters were sent back to the pavilion in the first six overs.

We conceded just three boundaries in the powerplay and kept MI to 28/4 in the first six overs. 

A 53-run partnership between Ishan Kishan and Nehal Wadhera gave the visitors a bit of respite. However, Ravi Bishnoi bamboozled Ishan with a googly in the 14th over to break the partnership and Mohsin Khan sent back a well-set Wadhera with a searing yorker to break MI’s backbone in the innings.

Our bowlers continued to have a stranglehold on the MI batters in the death overs, eventually restricting them to 144/7. Marcus Stoinis (1/19), Mohsin Khan (2/36), Naveen-ul-Haq (1/15), Ravi Bishnoi (1/28) and Mayank Yadav (1/31) were among the wickets.

The only cause of concern for us in the first innings was when Mayank walked off the field with an injury. 

Super Giant Stoinis saves the day!

Arshin Kulkarni was out in the first over and MI bowlers had their tails up with our score reading just 11/1 in the first three overs.

With two back-to-back boundaries in the fourth over, Stoinis pushed MI back and made his intentions clear. Along with skipper KL Rahul, Stoinis stitched a 58-run partnership to swing the momentum in our favour. 

While KL departed after a well-made 28 off 22 in the eighth over, Stoinis continued to bat along and another 40-run partnership with Deepak Hooda brought the game firmly in our control.

Stoinis departed in the 15th over following a commendable knock of 62 runs off 45 balls. However, he had done his bit, leaving our score at 115/4 with the required rate being less than a run-a-ball. 

Wickets of Ayush Badoni and Ashton Turner gave us a few hiccups on the way but Nicholas Pooran and Krunal Pandya sealed the victory in the last over with four balls to spare. 

What next for the Super Giants?

We will stay in Lucknow and brace for a challenge from Kolkata Knight Riders on May 5. A place in the top two could be at stake. 

Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians 144/7 in 20 overs (Nehal Wadhera 46;  Mohsin Khan 2/36) lost to Lucknow Super Giants 145/6 in 19.2 overs (Marcus Stoinis 62; Hardik Pandya 2/26) by four wickets.