IPL 2025: Bowlers hold nerve to guide LSG to first home win edging MI by 12 runs

Lucknow, April 4 (IANS) Led by Digvesh Rathi, Shardul Thakur and Avesh Khan taking a wicket each, the Lucknow Super Giants bowlers’ held their nerve to register their first home win of IPL 2025 after edging Mumbai Indians by 12 runs at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium on Friday

When openers Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram smashed fifties while David Miller applied finishing touches with a late cameo as the trio carried LSG to 203/8, it always gave the look of an uphill chase for MI. Suryakumar Yadav and Naman Dhir hit 67 and 46 respectively to keep MI in the hunt.

But with Suryakumar falling in the 17th over and Tilak Varma enduring a horror time with the bat, it meant that LSG’s bowlers were able to keep things under control, especially sticking to the wide-ball plan in the death overs, to help the side get their sixth win over a formidable MI outfit in the IPL.

LSG’s defence began on a bright note as Akash Deep struck on his fourth ball by having Will Jacks pulling straight to deep backward square leg for five. Thakur was next to strike by dismissing Ryan Rickleton in the same fashion for 10.

Dhir injected some momentum through ruthless counter-attack against Akash – pulling for his four and two sixes, before glancing to get another boundary in a 21-run fourth over, as MI eventually ended power-play at 64/2. The duo took a boundary each off both Akash and Ravi Bishnoi, before Rathi castled Dhir for 46 right after the first time out ended.

Suryakumar continued to sizzle by sweeping Bishnoi for four, before driving Avesh for back-to-back boundaries and later rolled his wrists to hit Thakur through wide of deep cover for another four. Despite Varma struggling, Suryakumar brought up his fifty in 31 balls with a delightful late cut off Bishnoi past third man for four.

But MI were given a big blow when Suryakumar moved across to scoop, but lost his balance and was caught by backward square leg off Avesh for 67. Tilak and Hardik Pandya, though, hit a four each off Avesh, before the latter swept Rathi for another boundary and bring equation down to 29 runs off 12 balls.

With Thakur giving away five singles in the penultimate over by nailing his half-volleys and low full tosses, an out of sorts Varma was retired out and Mitchell Santner came in, as the equation became 22 runs needed off the final over.

With a slow over-rate penalty meaning LSG could keep only four fielders outside 30-yard circle, Pandya lofted Avesh over deep extra cover for six. But he couldn’t get a boundary in the rest of the final over as LSG emerged victorious.

Brief Scores: Lucknow Super Giants 203/8 in 20 overs (Mitchell Marsh 60, Aiden Markram 53; Hardik Pandya 5-36) beat Mumbai Indians 191/5 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 67, Naman Dhir 46; Digvesh Rathi 1-21, Shardul Thakur 1-40) by 12 runs

--IANS

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