LSG vs MI IPL 2023: How Marcus Stoinis, Mohsin Khan helped Super Giants stay in race, dent Mumbai’s chances

With this win, LSG jumped to the third spot in the points table and one more win will help them qualify for the playoffs for the second straight time in IPL. In a must-win game – which was also their last home game in the IPL 2023 – Lucknow Super Giants registered their third consecutive win in two years over five-time champions.

Left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan made a fine comeback from a long injury lay-off and defended 11 runs off the final over against a dangerous-looking Tim David to hand his team a memorable win at a critical juncture in the tournament.

While all-rounder Marcus Stoinis flaunted his raw power en route to an unbeaten 89 off 47 balls as LSG recovered from a poor start to post a decent 177 for three after Mumbai opted to bowl.

Mumbai were on course for a comfortable win but went off the track in the second half of their innings with the bat in the run chase to end with 172 for five in 20 overs. With 11 required from the final six balls, Mohsin executed his bowling plan to perfection and conceded just five runs to hand LSG a famous win.

Mohsin, who missed the whole of the domestic season due to a shoulder injury, thus helped his IPL team to take a major step towards a top-four finish by holding his nerve in the final over. Mumbai too remain in contention for a play-off spot despite the loss but their fate will also depend on the result of others.

Chasing 178 was not going to be easy on this pitch but Rohit Sharma (37 off 25) and Ishan Kishan (59 off 39) raised the possibility of a comfortable chase with a 90-run opening wicket stand off 58 balls. Kishan looked in menacing touch while Rohit hit two sublime sixes to give a strong indication that he was back to his best.

However, both fell to leggie Ravi Bishnoi in his successive overs as the hosts were back into the game. Going for shots from ball one was not the best option on this surface and even the usually unstoppable Suryakumar Yadav experienced that in the middle.

A master at extracting runs behind the wicket, he went for his trademark scoop shot off pacer Yash Thakur but ended up hitting it back to the stumps. Mumbai needed 53 off the last 30 balls and with Nehal Wadhera and Tim David in the middle and Cameron Green yet to come, there was arsenal left in the tank.

However, David could not finish the game as he did against Rajasthan Royals earlier in the competition. Earlier, Stoinis smashed eight sixes in his belligerent knock and shared an 82-run partnership with stand-in skipper Krunal Pandya (49 retired hurt) after LSG found themselves reeling at 35 for three in the seventh over.

As has been the case throughout the season, batters had a tough time on a two paced surface. LSG made a questionable call to leave out their leading run-getter of the season, Kyle Myers, and the move did not work.

Replacing him at the top, Deepak Hooda (5) was undone by a slower ball from Jason Behrendorff The next ball from the left-arm pacer was angled away and Prerak Mankad got a faint touch on his way to the wicketkeeper while trying to run towards the third man.

The situation got worse for LSG when Quinton de Kock (16 off 15) fell in the seventh over to leave the home team reeling in the seventh over. De Kock went for the drive off a googly from the wily Piyush Chawla but ended up getting caught behind.

The onus was on the big-hitting Stoinis and Krunal to resurrect the innings and they did that with a gritty stand before the latter got retired hurt after being seen in a bit of discomfort in the 16th over.

After that, it was all Stoinis, who began his innings with massive sixes off spinners Hrithik Shokeen and Chawla in successive overs. Stroke-making was tough in the prevailing conditions but Stoinis used his brute force to get the much-needed boundaries and sixes.

The 18th over bowled by Jordan yielded 24 runs with the England pacer spraying it all over the place. He failed to nail his yorker and Stoinis was quick to dispatch his two balls for massive sixes down the ground besides collecting three fours off the short balls.

He finished the innings with a one-handed six off Akash Madhwal and too Lucknow to a competitive total on a surface that wasn’t very easy to bat on. Mumbai leaked 54 runs in the last three overs.

(With PTI inputs)