LSG vs MI, IPL 2023 Eliminator: Akash Madhwal seals 5-fer, Mumbai Indians demolish Lucknow by 81 runs

Sandip G: Wagging his left index finger furiously in the air, Akash Madhwal sprinted towards the stumps he had shattered to pick his fifth wicket of the night. Ishan Kishan climbed onto him, others ruffled his hair, as Mumbai Indians celebrated wildly. After the celebrations were over, he emerged from the huddle with a tired but happy face, his hair disheveled and his name ringing in the stands. The fifth wicket was achieved in a fitting manner, with a yorker, the mastery of which made him famous. But while picking up the five-wicket haul, he showed he was not just a yorker-merchant. Nicholas Pooran was foxed by a delicious out-swinger from around the wicket, angling into him and shaping away; Ayush Badoni was castled with a sharp nip-backer, Prerak Mankad deceived by one that straightened off the seam after pitching, Chis Jordan was beaten for pace.

Krunal Pandya: We were in a good position at one stage, but everything started (going wrong) when I played that shot, we should have played better cricket. That shot (his wicket) was not on, I completely take the blame for that. The ball was coming nicely on to the bat, we just had to bat better. We didn't play good cricket after that strategic break. Quinton de Kock is a quality batter, but Mayers has a better record here, so we went ahead (in the playing XI) with him. Their batters bat really well against fast bowlers, so I thought of starting with spin against them.

AND THAT DOES IT! FIVE WICKETS FOR MADHWAL!

A perfect yorker from Akash Madhwal, Mohsin Khan has a swing at it but misses it altogether as it breaches through his gates. A dismissal indicative of Lucknow's innings on the night. Not more than the three run outs though. Akash Madhwal, take a bow! Take all the bows. It's a battering this. One that'll give Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings food for thought. The five time IPL champions are here. Truly here. Mumbai Indians beat Lucknow Super Giants by 81 runs and set Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans.

It's one of those overs that makes you want to think, why? Lucknow are nine wickets down for 100 after 15 overs. Six balls later, they remain at 100/9. The innings for the most part has been confusing at best. Three run outs, jeez!

Chris Jordan gets to lower his economy rate. A maiden over for him. Not that it matters now, but 83 needed off 24 balls and for some reason, we shall have a strategic timeout.

Akash Madhwal strikes again. A fourth wicket for him. Ravi Bishnoi is caught at the boundary. Lucknow lose another one. 

BUT HANG ON, LOOK AT THIS! Deepak Hooda is run out. A third run out dismissal this eve. Naveen-ul-Haq dives at the striker's end after a miscommunication and Hooda can't make it to the other end. 100/9 after 15 overs.

Seven wickets down with just the one designated batter left in the middle, Lucknow are all but out of IPL 2023. So, Jason Behrendorff, who had been picked for boundaries in his first spell cleans his economy rate with a four run over. 98/7 after 14 overs.

Sandip G: Watch the runner and not the ball, goes the cricketing adage as old as the game itself. But Marcus Stoinis and Deepak Hooda both paid it no heed and Stoinis ended up being run out. Stoinis flicked handsomely to deep midwicket and the pair was strolling back for the second run, but their eyes hooked on the ball, as though by a hypnotic path. Often, one of the batsmen, the one running towards the danger end, would be spotted ball-watching. But here both were and ended up colliding into each other. The collision took the steam to Stoinis and by the time he regathered, he was run out. Both stared at each other puzzled, even as Mumbai’s fielders celebrated the lucky slip that could possibly be game-changing. Stoinis, batting so serenely, might have felt devastated, but if only he had looked towards the partner rather than the ball.

Lucknow have given up it seems. Another run out. This has been a collapse of shambolic proportions. Embarrassing and worth looking over by the think tank despite the fact that their team will be out of the competition after losing tonight. A diving stop from Cameron Green in the circle and a bullet throw at the striker's end. Krishnappa Gowtham departs. 94/7 after 13 overs.

"This is embarrasing," exclaims Chris Gayle on air. "This is the last thing they needed," says Zaheer Khan. All sorts of one liners will be thrown at that Lucknow wicket. Stoinis and Hooda, looking for a second run, don't look at each other, collide and then Stoinis is run out at the striker's end. The game slips further away from Lucknow. 12 overs gone, 90/6. 

Sandip G: Rohit Sharma stayed an eternity on the ground. A couple of teammates patted on his back and offered to lift him back to his feet. Rohit politely refused and sprung to his feet like a sprightly teenager. This was after he made a throwback save at cover, lunging full stretch, fully air-borne to stop a crisply-hit drive by Ayush Badoni, destined to the fence. Graeme Swann stuck a fine analogy, “like a salmon leaping up the river.” Not only did he save those four runs, but he sustained the pressure Piyush Chawla and Akash Madhwal were piling on. Two balls later, a frustrated Badoni swiped in ungainly fashion and ended up losing his stumps. The next ball, Madhwal produced a ripping out-swinger (angled in from around the stumps and moved a shade away) to snare the outside edge of Nicholas Pooran to have Super Giants teetering.

Deepak Hooda goes after Piyush Chawla first ball. A floaty delivery wide outside off stump is swiped over long on for six. A wide and four singles follow. Good over that for Lucknow given where they were in the last over. Stoinis and Hooda are it. The partnership Lucknow need on the night. 86/5 after 11 overs.

Cleans up Ayush Badoni with a back of a length delivery on the off that skids on. Gets Pooran on the next ball. Caught behind by Ishan Kishan. What an over this!

Hattrick ball. Deepak Hooda on strike. Negotiates it for a single. Lucknow are five down for 75 at the halfway stage chasing 183.

Piyush Chawla strikes just after the break. Krunal Pandya comes down the track and perishes. Holed up at long on. Lucknow lose a third wicket. Did look like a shot that could've been avoided.

Surprisingly, it's not Nicholas Pooran, who's come on. No left-right combination in the middle overs as Ayush Badoni joins Stoinis in the middle. Lucknow, 74/3. 

Sandip G: This was straight out of a nightmare. Hrithik Shokeen’s idea was to stifle Marcus Stoinis with flat off-breaks from around the stumps in the last over of the power-play. The field was thus set, offside heavy and with two men protecting the leg-side boundaries. And then the Mumbai Indian spinner produced two long hops, so short that he should be happy that he conceded two fours rather than two sixes. The next ball, he overcompensated by going too full an loopy and Stoinis made one long stride and swung him down the ground for a six. The 18-run over gave Super Giants reversed the momentum in favour of Super Giants who seemed genuinely struck for runs.

Marcus Stoinis is upping the ante. Another boundary for the Aussie. Cuts Chawla past backward point for four. Krunal Pandya joins in. Sweeps off a poor, tossed up delivery. 11 runs come off the over. 65/2 after seven.

Hrithik Shokeen comes in for his first over this eve. Marcus Stoinis takes him on. Back to back boundaries followed by a six. 18 runs come off the over. Fifty up for Lucknow. Exactly the over they needed. 54/2 after six overs. 

Sandip G: Kyle Mayers hit his pads in anger and shook his head in disgust. He has been devoured by another short ball. It was a cross-seamer that skidded on, angling a trifle away. There was hardly any room for a free-swing of the bat, and he tried to short-arm pull the ball, but the hustle meant he was a fraction late into the shot and the ball took the upper half of his bat and lobbed lazily into hands of Cameron Green, prowling the mid-on. It is not that he is a horrible puller, the pull is in fact one of his staple strokes and he nails most of it, but this IPL this has been nemesis. As many five times in 13 outings has the short-ball undone him.

Cameron Green replaces Behrendorff. Offers width for Stoinis to play slash over covers, Nehal Wadhera in the deep has hesitated to come in and the ball drops safe. Stoinis plays on the lifeline, flicks it behind short leg for four. 36/2 after five overs. 

'Commentator curse?' goes Chris Gayle in the JioCinema Insider's box. Moments ago, AB de Villiers did a little piece on Mayers' recent dismissals off short balls. Chris Jordan has done his prep against the southpaw, bangs it back of a length and Mayers hands it straight to mid on. Seven runs come off the over. Lucknow, 28/2 after four overs.

Jason Behrendorff continues. Slots it length on off and Kyle Mayers rips it over mid off for four off the first ball. The left arm Aussie pacer has been warned officially this over by the umpire to avoid landing in the danger area. Nine runs come off the over. 21/1 after three overs.

Akash Madhwal in to bowl the second over and a dot to start as Mankad swings and it's just out of reach. Plays the second delivery leg side but no run from this one as well. Brilliant fielding from Shokeen but he fails to hit the stumps with a direct hit. But David does and Mayers is safely in. And gone!!! Mankad tries to go big but only finds Shokeen in the deep. LSG 12/1 after 1.5 overs

Welcome back to the chase and Mayers and Prerak Mankad are at the crease. Mayers is on strike. Behrendorff will open the attack. Starts with 2 dots as Mayers gets the feel of thye conditions. Edged and it's over the top of slip for a boundary. The 4th ball is touched fine for four more. LSG 10/0 after 1 over

Nehal Wadhera played a whirlwind 23 off 12 while Tilak Varma chipped in with a 22-ball 26 as Mumbai post 182 against Lucknow. Read what MI captain Rohit Sharma had said about them before the match.

Yash Thakur to bowl the last over for Lucknow. Nehal Wadhera has the strike. The right arm bowler comes round the wicket. Goes full and swept behind for four to start off the over. A delivery later, pitches it further back but it's right on the stumps and Wadhera has dipatched it over square leg boundary for six. Next up, goes outside off with a fuller one, Wadhera goes outside to flick it behind for four more. This is smart batting. 14 runs already off the over. Krunal Pandya is fuming and goes to have a word with his bowler. Switches sides. Over the wicket. Wide outside off, this time, Wadhera is unable to get his batr onto it. Goes for a slash off the last one but is caught at wide long off. 182/8 is what MI post.

Sandip G: It seemed a long over. Naveen-ul-Haq bowled three successive wide balls, all angling across and angling away to the left-handed Tilak Varma. It seemed to frustrate everyone—Haq was blowing his cheeks in exasperation, Krunal Pandya was pleading with his bowler to just bowl at the stumps. Even Varma got restless, shaking his head each time the ball sped away far from the reach of his outstretched bat. The fourth ball—the second legal ball though—was perfect. Wide, not wide enough to be adjudged wide, full but not full enough to swing down the ground. Varma just threw his bat at Haq’s trademark off-cutter, bowled like you open a door (the index and middle finger work down the side of the ball so that the thumb passes over the top of the ball), and the long-on fielder devoured the mishit.

Mohsin Khan will bowl the penultimate over, so he won't be completing his spell tonight. Hasn't looked at his best, to be honest. Chris Jordan is the new man in for MI. Impact Player, Nehal Wadhera, who has replaced Suryakumar Yadav joins him.

Jordan looks to go over the wide long on boundary but finds the fielder. What an over that! 168/7. Six balls to go.

Naveen-ul-Haq in for his last over of the innings. Serves up a short ball first up and Nehal Wadhera goes for the swing, smacked over deep mid wicket for six. The 'Kohli Kohli' chants are up at the Chepauk stadium. I wonder why?

The Afghan pacer has changed his ammo to full and wide but in the attempt has conceded three extras. Off his fourth attempt, Tilak Verma finds the fielder at long off. A fourth wicket for him this eve. Mumbai, 162/6 after 18 overs.

Yash Thakur offers room to Tim David, who's scoring below a run a ball at the moment, a crunch through covers for four. Too full and David has the reach to put this almost anywhere around the ground. Another one has been pulled by the Australian down the ground and long on takes the catch. A waist high no ball check from the umpires. It looked a pretty high full toss but the third umpire has deemed it legal. David has an argument with the umpires on his way out. MI, 149/5 at the end of the 17th over.

Tilka Verma puts his foot on the throttle. A seam up, back of a length delivery is swung over deep mid wicket for a meaty maximum. Signs of urgency there. MI can target a 180 plus total here. Remember, CSK found 172 a defendable total the other night. Projected score at the moment is 176. 141/4 after 16.

Sandip G: Cameron Green and Suryakumar on rampage mode, few would have expected Krunal Pandya to bring Naveen-ul-Haq back into bowling. The medium pacer, with his proneness to over-experiment and missing lengths, could end up being meat and drink to the two most in-form batsmen in the league. Yadav punched his first ball through extra-cover gorgeously, without a modicum of violence. A long over beckoned He could have bled another four, but for Ravi Bishnoi’s verve. Haq shook his head in dismay. The next ball, though, was an out-swinging beauty that beat Yadav. With the fourth, he nailed his man. It was a slower-ball leg-cutter that Yadav looked to thump down the ground. He was early into the short, and the ball lobbed in the air off the top half of his bat. The over would only get better—and arguably match-turning—as Haq castled Green with an off-cutter at 105 kph off the last ball. Haq was in dreamland and celebrated maniacally. On his most important night in IPL, he nailed the three best batsmen of Mumbai.

The pace of the game has slowed down visibly since Naveen-ul-Haq's twin strikes. It's been 19 deliveries since the last boundary for MI. Another five run over has followed. Ravi Bishnoi closes his spell. The spinners have barely scratched the surface for LSG, it's been the pacers with their variations. More specifically, cushioning of the slower one in between normal paced deliveries. 131/4 after 15.

Yash Thakur, the other wicket taker comes on for Lucknow. "I've been very impressed with his body language and clarity this season," says Zaheer Khan on-air. Another five set of singles, one leg bye to be precise. 126/5 after 14 overs and the umpire signals for strategic timeout.

Sandip G: At the end of the ninth over, Mohsin Khan wandered to some distant corner of the field with an empty face. He had pounded two short balls in the over with all his energy, bending his back and letting out a grunt. Both times, he saw the ball disappear deep into the stance. The first was a short ball angled into Surkyakumar Yadav’s body, which the fastest blade in the IPL pulled between the keeper and short fine-leg. He made a difficult shot ridiculously simple, he just got outside the line of the ball and slapped it up and over, leaving the crowd awestruck, The second ball was middle-stumpish and hustling to Cameron Green, who pulled him through square-leg on the front foot. Khan simply stood helpless.

Krunal Pandya on for his fourth over. Lucknow may want to tap down that run rate a bit. Neat over to wrap up the spell but MI still look in a comfortable position to get to an above par total. Five singles negotiated. 121/4 after 13 overs.

Tilak Verma had been the standout batter for Mumbai Indians at the start of the season. Comes in and slog sweeps Ravi Bishnoi over deep mid wicket for six. Superb strike that, against the run of play and one of the leggies that this competition has to offer. 116/4 after 12 overs.

Naveen-ul-Haq starts off by pitching a short one outside off and rightly gets punished with a boundary. Changes his ammo later in the over to length ball a slower one. Surya hasn't been able to read that. Miscues it straight to the fielder at long off. 

Almost instantaneously, he serves an off cutting slower one to Cameron Green and it goes right through his gates. What an over this for Lucknow! Mumbai, 105/4 after 11.

Ravi Bishnoi continues. So does Suryakumar Yadav. A floated delivery outside off is lofted over the infield for four. Not the easiest wicket to bat this in the middle overs. But this guy can't be bothered when on song. 98/2 at the halfway stage. 

No no no, Mohsin, you can't bowl short to this guy. Jofra Archer couldn't make him flinch with a 150 clocked bouncer. His first ball in international cricket. Short, on the body, Suryakumar Yadav latches onto it quickly and dispatches it to first floor of the stands behind fine leg. 

The left armer bangs tries the same against Cam Green from over the wicket. Pulled over square on the on side for another maximum. 50 partnership up between these two. 89/2 after 9 overs.

Ravi Bishnoi has been brought on. MI head coach Mark Boucher and batting coach Kieron Pollard had a long word with the duo in the middle in the break. Over rate of 10 in the first seven, how does it go from here? 

Suryakumar Yadav goes for the sweep but top edges the leggie, just falls short of a running behind short leg, the fielde from deep square cuts it and saves the boundary. 75/2 after eight.

Sandip G: As soon as Naveen-ul-Haq saw Ayush Badoni pouch Rohit Sharma’s mis-hit at cover, he turned his back at the batsman and pointed his fingers to his name and number on the jersey. He then put his fingers in his ears and stared into the skies, as if stating that he does not listen to all the outside chatter. The Afghan’s name has shot to infamy after his exchanges with Virat Kohli a fortnight ago. He mocked Kohli again on the night RCB failed to qualify for the playoffs, and now he has taken his pantomime villainy to Sharma. The wicket-ball, though, was nothing special and it was more of Sharma’s indiscretion than Haq’s smarts. Sure, the IPL will remember his name, even though he has not conjured anything extraordinary with the ball.

Cameron Green may be batting in an IPL Eliminator but the man is a multitasker at heart. An all-rounder. Mohsin Khan dishes him a length ball on the off stump and the Australian flexes his Test cricket shot arsenal with a crispy cover drive wide of mid off for four. He shall need them come a certain World Test Championship final next month. Eight runs come off the seventh over and the umpire signals for the strategic timeout. Mumbai, 70/2.

Sandip G: Two spinners of contrasting styles and methods shared the new ball for Lucknow Super Giants—left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya and off-spinner Krishna Gowtham. The rationale behind the move was understandable, LSG’s pacers are raw and have been bleeding runs; besides the Chepauk surface has been abetting spin bowling, the ball gipping off the surface occasionally, and some balls keeping low. The ploy almost paid off, as K Gowtham induced a thick outside edge off Ishan Kishan in the second over. Rohit Sharma unusually embraced early risks, when he slugged Pandya over long-on before sweeping him off the stumps. Yet, Pandya beat him beautifully in the air, only for the ball to evade the stumps by a whisker. Though neither picked a wicket in the first three overs, the pressure they piled on, forced  a folly from Sharma in the fourth over, when he sliced a length ball to cover.

Krunal in to bowl the last over of the powerplay and Green hits 2 fours from the first 3 balls. The fourth ball also races to the boundary. MI 62/2 after 6 overs

Already in the penultimate over off the powerplay and we are off to aflying start. Cameron Green who replaced Rohit Sharma started off his innings with two fours in the last over. Now, Yash Thakur will steam in to bowl the 5th. And gone!!!! After defending the first ball, Kishan tries to hit a wideish delivery, gets an edge and the keeper with a comfortable catch. MI 38/2 after 4.2 overs

Pace is introduced by LSG as Naveen-ul-Haq is in to bowl the 4th. Kishan off the mark with a single and Rohit is gone!!! Tries to go after Naveen but only gives away the catch to Badoni. MI 30/1 after 3.2 overs

Krunal will bowl the 3rd and Rohit has hammered him for the first 6 of the innings. The second ball is swept for four more. Great start for the Mumbai Indians. The next ball misses everyone and goes behind for 4 byes!! Krunal isn't impressed. MI 29/0 after 3 overs

Gowtham in to bowl the second over and that's back to back dots to start. The next two are also the same before Kishan deftly places the 5th for a four. Ends the over with another boundary as the ball pierces between two fielders. MI 13/0 after 2 overs

Ishan Kishan and Rohit are at the crease. Ishan Kishan is on strike. Krunal Pandya will open the attack. And a four to start this Eliminator off. The next one is played straight at Pandya but my word!! It's dropped. Will that come back to haunt LSG? MI 5/0 after 1 over

The Teams are IN for the #Eliminator!

Take a look at the two sides ????

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MI have one change with Kumar Kartikeya going out and Hrithik Shokeen taking his place. Meanwhile, in a huge blow for Lucknow, Quinton de Kock is not in the team with Ayush Badoni set to open.

MI Impact Subs: Ramandeep Singh, Kumar Kartikeya, Vishnu Vinod, Nehal Wadhera, Sandeep Warrier.

LSG Impact Subs: Kyle Mayers, Daniel Sams, Yudhvir Singh, Swapnil Singh, Amit Mishra.

Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, Prerak Mankad, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran(w), Krunal Pandya(c), Krishnappa Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Yash Thakur, Mohsin Khan

Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Chris Jordan, Hrithik Shokeen, Piyush Chawla, Jason Behrendorff, Akash Madhwal

Rohit Sharma: We are going to bat first. Typical Chennai wicket, looks good at the moment, don't know how much wear and tear will happen. Back in Mumbai we want to chase, this ground here with a longer boundary, it's better to put up a score. The boys are upbeat about it, we have qualified and we are here. There have been ups and downs, but we have learnt a lot, and learnt what we can do as a team. We are ready for this game. We have one change, Karikeya is out, Shokeen is in.

Krunal Pandya: It has been an up and down season, but we have fought and never gave up. We have match winners, it's a team effort from us, that's a really good sign. We have covered all bases, just need to execute our skills. We would have batted first as well, but now we have to play some good cricket.

It's toss time. The captains are in the middle. The coin goes up. Rohit Sharma wins the toss and MI will bat first.

? Toss Update ?

Mumbai Indians win the toss & elect to bat first against Lucknow Super Giants.

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Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants have met 3 times in the Indian Premier League and MI have lost all three of the encounters against LSG.

"It's a different pitch than yesterday, the boundaries are contrasting. The off-side boundary is 61 metres, while the leg-side boundary is 70 metres and 77 metres down the ground. The surface used for this game is similar to the one used in the last night's match. The wicket looks abrasive, a lots in it for the spinners. There will be a bit of swing with the new ball, but apart from that, it's going to be spin to win. Batting first is a good option on this wicket," says Matthew Hayden.

In the second half of the tournament, the par score at Chepauk took a nosedive and an above 150 score might be enough to win the match, set to be playted in humid conditions.

All eyes will be on Mumbai's Suryakumar Yadav as the swasahbuckler has finally found his scoring touch in the latter stagges of the tournament after a slow start. The good news for LSG is that SKY's strike rate which hovers around 150 drops down to the 120s when playing at the Chepauk.