Yet another disappointing performance by Mumbai Indians has significantly dampened their chances of qualifying for the IPL playoffs. In stark contrast, Lucknow Super Giants have kept their playoff hopes alive by securing third place with this victory. Once again, the leadership of Hardik Pandya has failed to make a significant impact. The hero of Lucknow's win, Stoinis, couldn't play with much confidence, and the decision to not give him an over in the powerplay also contributed to the loss, leaving Mumbai Indians' fans disheartened.
Flop show of World Cup stars
The announcement of the Indian team for the T-20 World Cup was made just yesterday. Players from Mumbai Indians, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Suryakumar Yadav, failed to live up to expectations, causing Mumbai to lose their grip on the match by losing four wickets for 28 runs in the powerplay. They narrowly escaped the worst performance in the playoffs this season, as Punjab Kings' worst performance stands at three wickets for 27 runs. However, Mumbai weakened their position by losing one wicket more. There was hope of celebrating their inclusion in the Indian team by showering runs, but both Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav's underperformance was a missed opportunity.
Hardik Pandya immediately threw the ball with speed towards the offside on Navin ul Haq's first delivery, which kissed KL Rahul's gloves. However, Hardik compensated with his bowling. He gave away 26 runs and took two wickets in four overs. Irfan Pathan said that after Mumbai's previous loss, Hardik had mentioned that Tilak Varma needed to be handled with caution. But today, he, too, needed to play with caution.
Suryakumar Yadav's bat was needed to perform in this match. However, getting out to Stoinis' ball once again proved that he needs to work on playing the slower ball. Stoinis threw a slower bouncer towards the leg side, and the ball landed in Rahul's hands. Rohit Sharma's name could also be included in this.
Unfortunately, Tilak Varma was run out. Ravi Bishnoi's quickness in getting him out is commendable. But after his dismissal, Mumbai never managed to recover.
Stoinis has become the match-winner.
Cricket lovers hadn't forgotten Stoinis' century against Chennai Super Kings. Now, he has played an innings to win the match. He knew that rather than playing a quick innings today, it was necessary to stay at the crease and keep increasing the scoreboard. He fulfilled this responsibility excellently.
His responsibility increased after KL Rahul got out. Therefore, he played without taking unnecessary risks. This innings reflects his experience.
Stoinis scored 62 runs off 45 balls, including seven fours and two sixes. Although he is usually known for his aggressive style of play, he understood the situation and played sensibly, successfully putting the team on the path to victory before getting out.
Rohit didn't shine on his birthday this time.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma celebrated his birthday yesterday, but he has not been successful on this occasion for several years. This trend continued in this match as well, as Mohsin Khan caught him off Stoinis' bowling.
Before this, Rohit Sharma could only manage to score 17 runs in 2009, one run in 2014, four runs in 2022, three runs in 2023, and four runs in 2024 on his birthday. This time, it seemed that his leadership had just been announced for the T-20 World Cup Indian team, but he couldn't convert this happiness into a good performance.
Rohit Sharma has been consistently unsuccessful in keeping the ball down while driving against left-arm pace bowlers. He has been dismissed in this manner five times this season.
Mayank Yadav has been injured again.
Mayank Yadav had captured everyone's attention with his performance in the first three matches of the season. However, he suffered from swelling in the lower abdomen in his third match. After being absent for five games, he returned for this match, but another injury has raised concerns once again.
He came to bowl his fourth over in the 19th over and succeeded in bowling out Mohammad Nabi on the first ball. However, instead of celebrating this success, he returned quietly.
When Mayank came to bowl, he delivered the first ball at a speed of 144.1 km/h, which hit Nehal Wadhera's helmet.
Irfan Pathan said, "Mayank is an excellent bowler, but he should work on his fitness and should only return when fully fit. According to me, he will definitely play for the Indian team one day."
Mumbai's bowling showed promise for the first time.
Indeed, Mumbai's bowlers couldn't win the match for their team, but they successfully dragged the game to the final over despite a target of 145 runs. When Ayush Badoni got out, it seemed like the game had slipped away. The way Ayush stepped forward to drive, it appeared he had stepped out of the popping crease. However, the third umpire felt that his bat was above the ground when Ishan Kishan dislodged the bails. Commentators argued that once the bat reached the crease, anything beyond that was inconsequential.Nicholas Pooran and Krunal Pandya didn't let this setback affect them and comfortably guided the team to victory, advancing further in the playoffs.
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