LSG reached 203 thanks to Marsh and Markram, and then Thakur and Avesh played well under duress. 6-1 and Counting
Mumbai Indians 191 for 5 (Suryakumar 67, Dhir 46, Hardik 28*, Rathi 1-21) lost by 12 runs to the Lucknow Super Giants 203 for 8 (Marsh 60, Markram 53, Badoni 30, Hardik 5-36).
Hardik Pandya led the strike after Tilak Varma retired. The Mumbai Indians (MI) defeated the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their IPL 2025 match on Friday night, but their last-ditch attempt was insufficient.
After half-centuries from openers Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram, as well as a game-changing 4-0-21-1 from Digvesh Rathi, LSG has now won six of their seven meetings with the five-time champions.
Naman Dhir scored a brilliant 46 for MI, and Suryakumar Yadav maintained his success with a 67 off 43 balls. However, LSG’s death bowlers—Sharidul Thakur in particular—held their own against the seasoned MI batting lineup.
Thakur and Avesh end it.
According to ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster, MI had a 36.9% chance of winning with 52 runs needed in the final four overs. It appeared to be closer to 50-50 with Hardik following and Suryakumar and Tilak at the crease.
That was altered by Avesh Khan, who started the 17th over by dismissing Suryakumar. Even though the ball was well outside the off-side tramline, the batter executed the premeditated sweep. The grab was made at square-leg deep backward.
Tilak and Hardik, the next batter in, each hit a boundary in the over, but they were unable to get Rathi out in the next one. MI chose to retire Tilak and send in Mitchell Santner after Thakur bowled yorkers in the 19th over, both at the stumps and wide. An additional 24 runs were required off the final seven balls.
MI had an unlikely 22 runs to get in the final over after Santner scored two runs off the final ball of the over from Thakur, in which just seven runs were scored. Hardik was on fire, and despite hitting Avesh over cover with a six to start, Avesh kept hitting yorkers and gave up just three runs off the over’s five deliveries.
After all, the forecaster was correct.
Dhir and Suryakumar give MI a chance.
Despite making a mistake early in the chase, MI had put themselves in a strong position. After MI lost their openers, Will Jacks and Ryan Rickelton, in almost identical fashion—both hitting hard-length balls to deep backward square leg—Dhir and Suryakumar took over.
Dhir reached 30 off his first nine balls by striking boundaries through the leg side and down the ground while surprisingly remaining motionless at the crease. As MI reached their fifty in five overs, Suryakumar hit Avesh over the leg side. Immediately following the powerplay, Ravi Bishnoi and Akash Deep were each struck for two boundaries.
However, Dhir’s flick was beaten and the stumps were struck by Rathi’s legspinner’s carrom ball, which angled in from a shortish length. However, Suryakumar persisted in identifying the boundary without taking many chances. 6-1 and Counting In the eleventh over, he picked up two fours by first playing the square drive and then the cover drive, demonstrating his ability to control the field. Even though Tilak picked up an early boundary, he was unable to get going.
Despite failing to strike a single six, MI managed to score 88 for 1 in the middle overs. They appeared to be in a good position, setting batters at the crease for the big finish. However, in the end, LSG’s death bowlers were crucial.
Marsh and Markram establish the framework for LSG
Earlier, LSG was put in to bat and scored 69 runs in the powerplay. Marsh hit two sixes and nine fours in his 60 of them off 31 balls. In the opening over, he was caught behind off Trent Boult, but Marsh attempted to drive through the covers. 6-1 and Counting but neither the bowler nor his teammates noticed the nick.
Marsh exploited it. His lofted off-drive off Boult for six in the third over was a hallmark of his brutality against full balls. When Santner was inserted in the fifth over, Marsh picked up two boundaries, both off the back foot.
Marsh reached a 27-ball fifty when Ashwani Kumar played a quiet first over and went for 23 runs off his second over, hitting two boundaries down the ground between square leg and cover. 6-1 and Counting However, in his first over, the seventh of the innings, he gave Vignesh Puthur a return catch, going against the flow of play.
Hardik scoffs, but LSG continues
LSG’s in-form hitter, Nicholas Pooran, seemed in control right away, hitting Santner for a four and a six. Pooran was first dismissed by Hardik’s slower bouncer, and then the unproductive Rishabh Pant gained the upper hand after attempting a flick to mid-off.
As Ayush Badoni played himself out, Markram returned to playing second fiddle despite hitting a pair of sixes while batting with Pant. On the 99th ball of the innings, Markram reached his fifty off 34 balls.
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Before he broke free with three consecutive boundaries off Santner, who finished with 0 for 46, his third-most costly spell in a T20, Badoni was on 6 off his first nine deliveries. On the fifth ball of the 16th over, he scooped Ashwani but was caught behind the next ball attempting to repeat the shot as the bowler went wider.
When Jasprit Bumrah was not available, Hardik bowled two last overs and took three wickets, beginning with Markram’s offcutter. MI would have hoped to limit LSG to less than 200 runs, but just four fours were hit between overs 16 and 19.
However, to begin the last over, David Miller hit Hardik for a six and a four, marking his 3000th IPL run. After taking out Miller and Akash Deep in two balls, Hardik recovered, but he ultimately gave up 15 runs, allowing LSG to surpass 200.
