After their commanding victory over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya made a noteworthy revelation about his limited bowling contribution on Sunday, having bowled only one over on Sunday.
Hardik bowled the ninth over of the match. He was greeted by LSG opener Mitchell Marsh with consecutive boundaries but recovered strongly, conceding just two singles in his subsequent four deliveries.
At the post-match presentation ceremony, when questioned about bowling only one over, the Mumbai Indians skipper replied, “I bowl when I am required.”
Hardik then elaborated on his decision to hold back and provide debutant Corbin Bosch with the opportunity to complete his quota of overs. The South African all-rounder had an excellent debut, smashing a quick-fire 20 off 10 balls and delivering an economical bowling spell of 1 for 26 in his four overs.
“Today was the best chance for Bosch to come in and bowl,” he stated.
It was indeed a clinical performance by the five-time champions, Mumbai Indians.
Jasprit Bumrah’s exceptional figures of 4 for 22 and Trent Boult’s 3 for 20 followed attacking half-centuries from Ryan Rickelton and Suryakumar Yadav, propelling Mumbai Indians to a 54-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants for their fifth successive win.
After Rickelton (58) and Suryakumar Yadav (54) helped MI post a formidable 215 for 7 after being asked to bat first, Bumrah and Boult spearheaded a brilliant bowling performance as LSG were bundled out for 161 in 20 overs.
Bumrah weaved his magic in the death overs, claiming three wickets in one eventful over as Mumbai Indians defeated LSG for the first time at the Wankhede Stadium.
Bumrah also achieved a significant milestone, becoming the highest wicket-taker for Mumbai Indians in IPL history with 174 wickets, surpassing Lasith Malinga’s 170.
Boult was equally impressive. Utilized in short spells, he struck every time he was brought into the attack, wrapping up the innings by dismissing Digvesh Rathi on the last ball of the match.
Who’s that IPL player?
This victory marks the first win for Mumbai Indians over LSG in the league phase, coming in their seventh encounter.
With this win, MI climbed to the second spot in the standings, trailing Gujarat Titans and joining Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on 12 points. The winner of the DC vs RCB match being played in New Delhi could potentially overtake them and move to the top of the table with 14 points.
