Mumbai: Nicholas Pooran’s spectacular 28-ball 75 propelled Lucknow Super Giants to a formidable total before they overcame Mumbai Indians by 18 runs in Match 67 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at Wankhede Stadium on Friday, following a 45-minute rain delay.
Pooran’s innings, which included an explosive half-century off just 19 balls with eight sixes, elevated LSG from 69/3 in 10 overs to a commanding score exceeding 200. Despite Rohit Sharma and Naman Dhir’s valiant efforts with blazing half-centuries, Mumbai Indians fell short in their chase.
Rohit, playing as an Impact Substitute, struck 68 off 38 deliveries, featuring 10 boundaries and three sixes, while Naman Dhir remained unbeaten on 62 off 28 balls. Their contributions, however, could not prevent Mumbai Indians from finishing at 196/6 in pursuit of LSG’s 214/6.
Having elected to bowl first after winning the toss, Mumbai Indians faced a challenging target as Pooran’s innings, supported by K.L. Rahul’s 55 runs, set the stage for LSG’s competitive total. Despite initial dominance with Rohit’s aggressive start, Mumbai Indians faltered losing wickets in quick succession, eventually ending their IPL 2024 campaign at the bottom of the standings.
Key highlights included Ayush Badoni’s quickfire 22 off 10 balls and Krunal Pandya’s 12 off 7 balls in the closing overs, which propelled LSG past the 200-run mark.
In the bowling department, Nuwan Thushara and Piyush Chawla led Mumbai Indians’ effort with three wickets each, but could not contain LSG’s strong finish.
The match witnessed a brief rain interruption early in Mumbai Indians’ innings, but it failed to dampen the momentum of either side significantly. Despite late heroics by Naman Dhir, Mumbai Indians’ chase fell short, concluding their season on a disappointing note.
Brief Scores: Lucknow Super Giants 214/6 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 75, K.L. Rahul 55; Nuwan Thushara 3-28, Piyush Chawla 3-29) beat Mumbai Indians 196/6 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 68, Naman Dhir 62 not out; Ravi Bishnoi 2-37, Naveen-ul-Haq 2-50) by 18 runs.
