LUCKNOW — Hardik
Pandya's maiden five-wicket haul in T20 cricket and star batter Suryakumar
Yadav's fluent 67 went in vain as Lucknow Super Giants beat Mumbai Indians by
12 runs in an Indian Premier League match here on Friday.
MI captain Pandya returned with magnificent figures of 5/36
in an inspiring bowling performance but couldn't stop LSG from posting 203 for
8 after being put into bat.
Chasing 204 for a win, MI, however, ended at 191 for 5 in 20
overs and exposed the five-time champions' inability to chase down big targets.
Shardul Thakur's economical effort in the penultimate over,
giving away just seven runs, tilted the scale in favour of LSG.
MI were reduced to 17 for 2 in 2.2 overs with both openers
-- Will Jacks (5) and Ryan Rickelton (10) -- getting out cheaply.
Jacks, who replaced struggling Rohit Sharma at the top of
the order after the India captain got hit on his knee at the nets, was the
first to be dismissed off the bowling of Akash Deep who was playing his first
match of the season after an injury lay-off.
Rickelton followed suit in the third over as Shardul claimed
his wicket with Ravi Bishnoi, who came in as Impact Player in place of batter
Mitchell Marsh, taking the catch.
MI were in a spot of bother but India T20I captain
Suryakumar Yadav and Naman Dhir steadied the run chase.
Dhir launched an attack on Akash Deep in the fourth over
with two sixes and two boundaries in the first four deliveries to keep MI in
the hunt.
Suryakumar struck Avesh Khan for a six in the fifth over,
and played second fiddle to Dhir.
MI were 64 for 2 at the end of powerplay, not much far
behind the corresponding 69 for no loss of LSG in terms of runs at the same
stage.
Leg-spinner Digvesh Rathi, who was fined 25 per cent of his
match fees for his unusual 'letter-writing' celebration after dismissing a
Punjab Kings batter, broke the third-wicket stand worth 69 runs. He cleaned up
Dhir in the first ball of the ninth over and did the same gesture, though far
off from the departing batter.
Tilak Varma then came to the crease as Impact Sub for
Vignesh Puthur as MI reached 101 for 3 at halfway stage. The asking rate kept
on climbing as there was a dearth of boundaries in the middle overs.
Suryakumar, meanwhile, reached to his first fifty off 31
balls with a boundary off Bishnoi in the 14th over to keep MI in the hunt.
It was not going to be easy for MI as they needed 61 from
the last five overs and Suryukumar got out in an inopportune time with Avesh
Khan getting rid of him in the 17th over.
MI needed 40 runs from the last three overs and 29 from the
last two with Pandya and Varma having settled down nicely.
Shardul then gave away just seven runs in the 19th over to
tilt the scale in favour of LSG. MI was then forced to retire out a struggling
Varma out after an uncharacteristic slow batting as he scored 25 off 23 balls.
In came Mitchell Santner and MI needed 22 runs from the
final over bowled by Avesh Khan.
Pandya hit a six off Khan in the first ball but the third
and fourth deliveries were dot balls. MI needed 14 runs off the last two balls
but Pandya could get only one in the fifth ball, ending his side's hopes of a
win.
Earlier, LSG rode on superb half-centuries from Mitchell
Marsh and Aiden Markram to post 203 for 8, despite Pandya's five-wicket haul.
Pandya took the wickets of Markram (53 off 38 balls),
Nicholas Pooran (12), Rishabh Pant (2), David Miller (27) and Akash Deep (0),
putting brakes on LSG's innings.
LSG were off to a great start with opener Marsh hitting his
third half-century in four matches. His 60 came off just 31 balls and was
studded with nine fours and two sixes.
With the other opener Markram also in good nick, LSG were 69
for no loss at the end of power play. But MI came back after that with Pandya
making crucial bowling changes.
Left-arm wrist spinner Vignesh Puthur, who had starred in
MI's win over Chennai Super Kings, was introduced in the seventh over and he
gave the breakthrough immediately. He had Marsh caught and bowled, breaking the
dangerous-looking opening stand of 76 runs.
Pandya then brought himself into action and had Pooran in
the ninth over before getting the prized wicket of LSG captain Pant (2) who got
out cheaply once again.
Substitute fielder Corbin Bosch took a fine catch at the
mid-off after Pant failed to negotiate a slower ball off Pandya. Pant, who
faced six balls, continued his poor form, having scored 0, 15, 2 in his three
earlier innings.
LSG were 107 for 3 in 10.4 overs when Pant was out.
Markram, who had been ordinary so far, stood up for his team
and held one end together till he was out in the 18th over.
