A clinical team performance with blistering half-centuries from Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram, supported by clutch bowling from Digvesh Rathi, Shardul Thakur, and Avesh Khan, saw Lucknow Super Giants record their first home win of the season as they beat Mumbai Indians by 12 runs at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Batting first on a black-top wicket, Marsh laid the foundation with a fiery 60 off 31 balls, his third fifty in the tournament, capitalizing on the pace-friendly early conditions. Following his fall, Markram asserted himself, scoring a chic 53 off 38 balls, while David Miller provided late punch with a quick 27 off 14, taking LSG to a solid 203/8 — their second 200-plus score this season.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya was the outstanding bowler, taking a personal best 5/36 using crafty variations in pace. He made himself part of the history books by becoming the first IPL captain to achieve a five-wicket haul in the IPL.
Pursuing 204, MI were maintained in the competition courtesy of Suryakumar Yadav's sparkling 67 and Naman Dhir's dashing 46. But Suryakumar's fall in the 17th over became the turning point, particularly after Tilak Varma could not get fluency and was later retired out. LSG's bowlers followed a disciplined wide-ball strategy in the death overs to deny MI momentum.
Earlier in the LSG innings, Marsh's fireworks started with boundaries against Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar, reaching his half-century in 27 balls. Markram then stabilized the middle overs with well-directed hits, while Badoni contributed a brisk 30. Pandya's spell pierced LSG's middle-order, dismissing Pooran, Pant, and Markram with off-cutters and slower balls.
In MI’s reply, Akash Deep and Thakur struck early to remove Will Jacks and Ryan Rickelton. Dhir briefly countered with a flurry of boundaries, but Rathi cleaned him up right after a strategic timeout. Suryakumar dazzled with wristy strokes but lacked support at the other end.
The equation reduced to 22 runs off the final over, with Pandya giving a glimmer of hope with a six. But Avesh Khan kept his cool, giving only singles and dot balls later on, even though LSG was hit with a slow over-rate penalty that limited fielders outside the circle.
Match Summary
Lucknow Super Giants: 203/8 in 20 overs (Marsh 60, Markram 53; Pandya 5-36)
Mumbai Indians: 191/5 in 20 overs (Suryakumar 67, Dhir 46; Rathi 1-21, Thakur 1-40)
Result: LSG won by 12 runs
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