LSG fielding ( Source : IPL )
With another defeat to their name, Mumbai Indians finish at the bottom of the table for the second time in three years. On the other hand, after a couple of embarrassing losses, Lucknow Super Giants picked up an important win at the Wankhede Stadium but that didn’t improve their net run rate and with that, the KL Rahul-led side was eliminated from the playoffs race. As things stand, either Royal Challengers Bengaluru or Chennai Super Kings will take up the number four spot.
Also Check: IPL 2024 Points Table
Coming to the high-voltage contest, Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bowl first. He decided to make a few changes in the squad, which played a role in them losing at the hands of LSG. Not having Jasprit Bumrah in the playing XI proved to be costly, as his replacement Arjun Tendulkar suffered an injury and couldn’t complete his quota. Meanwhile, Rahul finally managed to hit a half-century but his strike rate was once again a matter of discussion as his teammate, Nicholas Pooran was phenomenal in the middle, smacking 75 runs off 29 balls.
When it came to the chase, Dewald Brevis was promoted up in the order and was asked to open alongside Rohit Sharma. The young South Africa cricketer couldn’t make much of an impact as he departed after scoring 23 runs off 20 balls. He couldn’t take advantage of the powerplay but Mumbai were in for a treat today as their own, Rohit played some good cricket and made 68 runs off 38 balls.
However, their middle order once again struggled to get going and despite Naman Dhir’s 62* runs off 28 deliveries in the end, MI fell short as they lost the match by 18 runs.
1. Potential last game of Rahul and Rohit?
It’s still early for the reports to be confirmed as things stand, Rahul and Rohit probably played their last match for their respective franchises. Rahul, who reportedly had a fallout with owner Sanjeev Goenka made 55 runs off 41 balls against Mumbai, which might not impress the LSG boss. The surface was tailor-made for the batters to do well but Rahul’s strike rate was poor, to say the least.
When it comes to Rohit, there are multiple reports of him leaving Mumbai ahead of IPL 2025. He was spotted giving an autograph to Romario Shepherd during the match, which only strengthened the reports. However, in a few months, a lot can change and both may eventually continue in their respective franchises.
Also Read – Rohit Sharma gives autograph to teammate Romario Shepherd, video goes viral
2. Nicholas Pooran’s consistency
One of the biggest plus points for LSG this season was Nicholas Pooran’s consistency. The West Indies international was bought in for a lot of money but there were a lot of questions regarding his consistency. However, Pooran was splendid this season and LSG would definitely like to retain him ahead of the next season.
3. Hardik Pandya’s performance
Hardik Pandya’s form is a massive concern, especially with the T20 World Cup coming up. He has failed to deliver in the ongoing season and even against LSG, the all-rounder looked pale. The 30-year-old has leaked more runs with the ball, than he has scored with the bat, which ultimately shows the kind of campaign he has had.
Losing skipper Hardik Pandya said:
Quite difficult. Did not play good quality cricket, eventually costed us the whole season. It’s a professional world. Have to always come out and put our best foot forward. But yes, as a group we could not play quality cricket or smart cricket. Too early to point out what went wrong. The whole season kind of went wrong. We can pass this game as another one (that went wrong).
Winning skipper KL Rahul said:
Very disappointing. At the start of the season, I felt we had a very strong season and most basis covered. Couple of injuries happen to every season and team but the guys who went away dented us a little bit. We didn’t play well enough collectively and couldn’t come together as much as we wanted to. Today was the kind of game we wanted to play more when the bowlers and batters both come together. Really happy for them (the youngsters), we spent a lot of time and energy with the squad, the support staff and we had sent Mayank and Yudhvir to South Africa to train with Morkel. They got good facilities to train with. (Will he continute to open in T20s?) Maybe, maybe not, there’s not much T20 cricket coming up [for me] now. It depends on where I stand and what I need to do to get back in the team, I’ll think about what the team needs. (Was Pooran batting too low down the order?) Not really, we’d have ideally wanted him to bat higher but how the teams line up is how the international players slot to absorb the pressure. Once Stoinins was at No. 3, we couldn’t have had Pooran after him to have them bat in the 8th or 9th over together.
POTM Nicholas Pooran said:
Personally, I just had to do my job which is find a way in the situation and finish. Coming into the season I knew what my game would be. I have been inconsistent as well, I’d be fair to myself, so wanted to get some experience and make it count. (His ideal batting number) I batted from Nos. 3 to 7 but if I had to choose, I like the powerplay as well. I can’t be selfish and choose. I can bat at any position and that’s my strength. I’m just happy that I can do that. I’m just blessed, really grateful to have a second chance to play this game. Eight years ago when I had that accident, I thought I want to enjoy every game and every chance I get. Cricket and sport is really difficult, it takes time. I’m just happy teams are backing me and giving me a chance to play. All the fans of the world who support me as well, I’m just happy I can go out there and entertain. The World Cup is there now, it’s back home and we’re all looking forward to all playing together and doing something great for the people of Caribbean.