Mumbai Indians defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 81 runs to book a place in the Qualifier 2 of IPL 2023, where they will face Gujarat Titans on Friday for a place in the final.

In a display of exceptional fielding and impressive bowling, the Mumbai Indians (MI) created havoc for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as they picked up crucial wickets through run-outs and skillful deliveries. Marcus Stoinis and Krishnappa Gowtham fell victim to run-outs, adding to the misery of LSG. The talented Akash Madhwal shone with his bowling prowess, claiming four important wickets by dismissing Prerak Mankad, Ayush Badoni, Ravi Bishnoi, and Nicholas Pooran. Adding to the bowling assault, Chris Jordan contributed by taking the prized wicket of Kyle Mayers, while Piyush Chawla ended Krunal Pandya’s stay at the crease. The MI bowlers’ collective efforts showcased their determination to restrict LSG and played a significant role in their quest for victory.

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In a thrilling encounter at the Indian Premier League (IPL) eliminator, the Mumbai Indians (MI) showcased their batting prowess against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Electing to bat first, MI’s solid knocks from Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, and a fine cameo from Nehal Wadhera in the death overs propelled them to a challenging total of 182/8 in their allotted 20 overs.

Skipper Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan provided a quick start for MI, scoring 16 runs off LSG skipper Krunal Pandya’s third over. However, Rohit was dismissed by Naveen-ul-Haq for 11 runs, leaving MI at 30/1 in 3.2 overs.

Cameron Green, who had scored a century in the previous match, joined Ishan at the crease and started aggressively by hitting two consecutive boundaries off Naveen. However, Ishan’s innings was cut short as he edged the ball to wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran, giving Yash Thakur his first wicket. MI reached 38/2 in 4.2 overs.

Despite the loss of wickets, Green and Suryakumar Yadav formed a partnership and began attacking the LSG bowlers. They brought up their fifty-run stand in just 28 balls. At the halfway mark, MI’s score was 98/2, with Green (41*) and Suryakumar (27*) at the crease.

Naveen changed the course of the game by dismissing both Suryakumar (33 off 20 balls) and Green (41 off 23 balls) in quick succession. MI’s score dropped to 105/4 in 11 overs. Tim David and Tilak Varma tried to stabilize the innings but struggled to maintain a high scoring rate.

At the end of 15 overs, MI reached 131/4, with Tilak (18*) and Tim (7*) still batting. Yash Thakur broke their partnership by dismissing Tim David for 13 runs. Nehal Wadhera came in as the Impact Player and hit a six to take MI past the 150-run mark in 17.1 overs. However, Naveen struck again to dismiss Tilak for 26 runs, leaving MI at 159/6 in 17.3 overs.

MI’s innings continued to falter as Mohsin Khan claimed his first wicket by dismissing Chris Jordan for four runs. In the final over, Nehal Wadhera played a quick cameo, hitting two fours and a six, but was dismissed on the last ball for 23 runs. MI finished their innings at 182/8 in 20 overs.

Naveen-ul-Haq was the standout bowler for LSG, taking four wickets for 38 runs in his four overs. Yash Thakur picked up three wickets for 34 runs, while Mohsin Khan took one wicket.