Mumbai Indians crush LSG by 54 runs for fifth straight win
Mumbai, Apr 27 (PTI): In-form Mumbai Indians extended their winning run with a 54-run hammering of Lucknow Super Giants, recording their fifth consecutive victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) here Sunday.
The hosts smashed LSG in a one-sided clash in which Suryakumar Yadav grabbed lead as tournament's leading run-scorer, with his 28-ball 54.
Suryakumar continued to plunder runs to become the leading run-scorer in this IPL, crossing the 400-run mark with his third fifty. The India T20 skipper also completed his 4,000 runs in the tournament.
Ryan Rickelton also sizzled with a 32-ball 58 that helped MI post a stiff 215 for seven being invited to take first strike.
With a handsome total to defend, Mumbai Indians juggled their bowlers cleverly as the visitors struggled to find response to the challenges thrown by the home bowlers.
With his wickets column not reflecting how well he has bowled since his comeback, pacer Jasprit Bumrah finally reaped the rewards to return with impressive figure of 4-0-22-4. He broke the back of LSG's chase with three wickets in the 16th over.
In the process, Bumrah also went past Lasith Malinga (170) to become MI's leading wicket-taker in IPL history.
LSG's chase was also marred by another poor outing for their captain Rishabh Pant (4). They were shot out for 161 on a perfect batting surface at the Wankhede Stadium.
Bumrah, usually reserved for later stages, was brought on early into the attack against a top-heavy LSG batting line-up and he produced immediate breakthrough in the third over.
Bumrah nailed Aiden Markram (9) with precision as he angled three deliveries straight into the right-hander, who hit the next one straight to Naman Dhir trying to fend off the pressure.
Pooran went after Deepak Chahar in the sixth over, slicing sixes off two wide full tosses and putting one into the stands over midwicket but his charge didn’t last against MI’s dependable right-arm spin option in Will Jacks (2-0-18-2).
In the seventh over, Suryakumar, placed at long off just before the first delivery from Jacks, ran to his left and took a sharp diving catch to get rid of the dangerous Pooran.
Jacks then had the out-of-form Pant caught at short third man off a meek reverse sweep, with LSG sliding to 60 for three.
Mitchell Marsh, who had begun well with a couple of gigantic sixes in the powerplay, lasted more than halfway through the chase for LSG but could not contribute beyond a 24-ball 34 (3x4s, 2x6s).
The wickets fell regularly around him at the top, forcing the Australian to change gears and be more conservative, in which he eventually failed.
His resistance ended in the 12th over when Trent Boult (3/20) dropped one short and Marsh pulled it hard but failed to get the distance, caught by Tilak Varma at deep square leg.
Boult was once again impactful as he accounted for Marsh, Ayush Badoni (35) and Digvesh Rathi (1) in the final ball of the match.
Earlier in the first half, Suryakumar’s belligerent 54 and Rickelton's 58 fired Mumbai Indians to a good total.
Suryakumar's 28-ball knock, laced with four sixes and as many fours, kept MI on track for a total in excess of 200 even as Tilak Varma (6) and Hardik Pandya (5) fell in quick succession.
The standout stroke during his innings was when Suryakumar went down on his knee to lift Prince Yadav (1/44) over fine leg for a six on a waist-high ball.
LSG's decision to bowl first, anticipating a spin-friendly track under the sun backfired to some extent on a batting-friendly pitch here, with none of their bowlers able to control stroke-play.
MI's scoring rate hovered around 10 runs an over even as it felt they were going through a slowdown in the second half.
Rickelton's assault in the powerplay fuelled Mumbai's charge even as they lost the in-form Rohit Sharma early on.
Coming into the match after scoring back-to-back fifties, Rohit (12) welcomed India speedster Mayank Yadav (2/40) with two consecutive sixes. But the India captain was undone by a slower delivery.
Mayank pulled Rohit outside off on a 120kmph delivery in the third over, which the batter cut straight into the hands of Prince at third man.
But the early blow had no impact whatsoever as Rickelton stroked his way for an impressive second IPL fifty off 25 balls.
The left-handed South African wicketkeeper-batter hit his strides early in the game, hitting powerfully down the wicket and putting away anything in his range into the stands.
Rickelton forged a second-wicket partnership of 55 runs with Will Jacks (29), setting the foundation for the middle order.
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
