Live Blog - Mumbai Indians vs Lucknow Super Giants

LSG win by the margin today that RCB need to win by tomorrow :)

Dhir finishes the game with his fifth six of the evening, making 62* in 28.

Here's the opening of the match report

In a bittersweet evening at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai Indians fans witnessed a classic Rohit Sharma half-century but also saw their side slump to their tenth defeat of the season. The victors, Lucknow Super Giants, too were left with a ‘what-if’ feeling, as their seventh win of the season took them to the important landmark of 14 points, but a straggling net run-rate of -0.667 left them just outside the top four.

Needing a mathematically impossible margin of victory to fix their net run rate, it was Nicholas Pooran who rescued LSG from a familiar situation. With their top order struggling again, his 29-ball 75 brought life to a sluggish LSG innings to post 214 against an inexperienced MI attack that played without Jasprit Bumrah.

MI then began the chase in dazzling fashion on the back of Rohit’s barrage of boundaries on either side of a short rain delay, but they slid from 88 for no loss to to 120 for 5 in the middle overs, effectively ending their chances of putting up a realistic fight.

The result meant MI, under new captain Hardik Pandya, finished last for the second time in three seasons. LSG will end up missing the top four for the first time in their three-season history.

He has faced only 14 balls until the 19th over of this game. And having spent so much time off strike, he has failed to get any timing in most of his shots. The fans have been reliant on Naman Dhir for some entertainment.

With 34 needed off the final over, he brings up his fifty with a six first ball of the 20th over. His maiden half-century, a special one.

But he can't do a Rinku, and from the other end also sees Kishan fall for a 15-ball 14. That's curtains for Mumbai.

First, Hardik undone by left-armer Mohsin Khan. And then Nehal Wadhera out to Bishnoi's googly.

From 88/0, Mumbai have slid to 120/5. When Brevis fell in the 9th over, ESPNcricinfo's forecaster had the game at about 50-50. Now LSG clear favourites according to the algorithm.

Bishnoi finishes his spell with 2-37. MI 125/5 in 15 overs

Lucknow Super Giants: 115/3

Mumbai Indians: 115/3

An inside-out six from Hardik Pandya off Ravi Bishnoi's bowling confirms the batter's dominance over the bowler.

In 25 balls between the two, Hardik has hit Bishnoi for FIVE sixes.

This fifth one was a metre away from breaking a car window like Elysse Perry during the WPL.

Can Ishan Kishan deliver from the other end?

MI need 100 in 42 balls with MI at 115/3 in 13 overs.

LSG keep knocking Mumbai back with wickets through the middle overs. And the third one is the big man Rohit Sharma. Tries to play Bishnoi over the off side, but in his bid to stay aggressive, slices a shot to short third.

Bishnoi soaks that big wicket in with a Shahid Afridi type starman celebration as the crowd lose their voice momentarily. Rohit looks at the toe-end of his bat as he struts off the ground after a well-made 68. The crowd appreciate the innings to close off his season by giving him a standing ovation, but that soon turns to a murmur of boos as Hardik Pandya crosses him to come in at No. 5. His first ball: faces his brother Krunal.

The LSG spinners are making things happen because this pitch appears to be two-paced. Lack of dew is also keeping the LSG bowlers in the game.

Suryakumar Yadav hits Krunal Pandya for a glorious sweep behind square, but Ravi Bishnoi juggles and takes a catch, leaving the ballboy in awe too.

India's potential No. 3 / No. 4 at the T20 World Cup finishes his IPL 2024 campaign with a duck. With Brevis' wicket in the previous over, LSG have picked off two top-order wickets.

Credit to LSG also for their fielding. Krunal took a tough sliding catch at long off to remove Brevis. And now Bishnoi, making up also for an earlier error where he conceded four.

Ishan Kishan is the man at No. 4. LSG 90/2 in 10 overs

.... at the Wankhede all season. And it is reserved for Rohit Sharma.

Smacks six fours after the rain break, and then brings up a 28-ball fifty with a six over Mohsin Khan's head. Among India's first first-choice XI for the World Cup, Rohit is probably the most out of form. So good news for Indian cricket, but a few more Rohit overs could take this game away from LSG.

Bit of luck, a lot of class, and Rohit is off and running with two boundaries off Mohsin Khan in the fifth over.

Here's Abhimanyu Bose from the ground: Rohit Sharma has, without much surprise, been on the receiving end of much love at the Wankhede tonight. He was on the bench when Mumbai Indians were on the field, but walked out to loud applause as the chase began. The two back-to-back sixes he hit drew the loudest cheers of the night. As he faced up to his first ball after the rain break, chants of 'Rohit, Rohit' reverberated even inside the glass-covered press box. When he cut the ball for four, you can only imagine the reaction from the Wankhede faithful.

How will the LSG bowlers and fielders cope with the wet ball? One advantage they'll have is that the MI openers will need a few deliveries in the crucial powerplay period to get their feet moving again.

MI 33/0 in 3.5 overs. But the covers are on. Rohit has delighted the audience with a couple of sixes to move to 20 in 13. Brevis on 9. The crowd will patiently wait since it is only a light drizzle.

While we wait, a review of MI's campaign from our experts:

And he has a new batting partner - Dewald Brevis. Rohit has scored only 349 runs in 13 innings and was very nearly out second ball, almost caught at point.

A 10-ball 22 from Badoni and some lusty blows from Krunal Pandya ensure LSG finish on a strong 214. It all started with Pooran's 19-ball fifty, and he would eventually finish on 75 in 29. A sluggish half-century from KL Rahul, and somewhat slow innings from Marcus Stoinis and Deepak Hooda had dragged LSG into a tricky position after 10 overs, but Pooran's innings changed the complexion of this innings.

Hardik Pandya, the most experienced bowler in the MI line-up, bowled 2 overs for 27. Wadhera, Chawla and Thushara the most impressive of the lot in this inexperienced group.

Chaotic 16th and 17th overs. Pooran, Arshad Khan and KL Rahul fall in consecutive balls but across two overs.

Here's how overs 12 to 14 have gone, courtesy Nicholas Pooran, who has smacked a 19-ball half-century. A total of 66 runs in these three overs!

LSG 159/3 in 15 overs with MI one bowler short. Arjun Tendulkar left the field due to cramps after conceding two sixes in the 14th over, which was completed by Naman Dhir.

The Trinidadian is putting on a show for his Prime Minister!

Former MI man Nicholas Pooran is familiar with the Wankhede. Kamboj misses his lines in the 13th over and Pooran clubs him for two sixes and a four. Then Hardik Pandya is hammered for two more sixes. With KL Rahul scoring only 40 runs in his first 34 balls, this cameo from Pooran turns very crucial. He's already on 43 in 17 balls, how many more can he add? LSG 130/3 in 14 overs

Speaking of Pooran, KL Rahul spoke the other day how one disappointing thing for LSG has been how few times the top order has given Pooran and Stoinis the platform to really go big. Justin Langer alluded to it too in a conversation this evening saying he is aware Pooran plays at No. 3 these days for WI, but in LSG, they needed a batter lower down of the Tim David kind, who Pooran gave.

Arjun Tendulkar, now a Goa boy, took the new ball for MI in the powerplay and bowled 7 dots in 12 balls, conceding only one boundary for 2-0-10-0. He also had Stoinis LBW early, but the batter survived on DRS.

Will we see him get two more overs at the death? MI have used five bowlers in nine overs already (and no Hardik Pandya)

The LSG captain KL Rahul smacks Piyush Chawla for two sixes in the sixth over, but the leggie has dismissed Marcus Stoinis with a straight delivery to end the powerplay well for MI. Stoinis is LBW and LSG are 49/2 in six overs.

That's an innings run rate of 8.17 for LSG in the powerplay. A perennial problem for them in IPL 2024. This season, their powerplay run-rate of 8.27 is the second-worst of all teams.

A horror season for LSG batter Devdutt Padikkal. Started his season with 0. Ends his season with 0. In between, got scores of only 9, 6, 7, 3 and 13.

Gone to the inswinging delivery of slinger Nuwan Thushara. Was slow to get in position for any shot. Burns a review too.

Interestingly, the last time LSG used a "new" opener vs MI (Arshin Kulkarni), he too was out for a first-ball duck to Nuwan Thushara.

"In Wankhede, chasing is better," says Hardik after MI win the toss. He talks about playing for the badge tonight. No Bumrah, Tendulkar is in. Tilak has an injury, Brevis is in. Tim David also misses out.

"Quinton misses out, Padikkal comes in. Matt Henry comes in," says KL Rahul. "Generally, a good batting wicket here but there's been a bit in this wicket. Will assess the correct score at the powerplay. Couple of weeks ago we were sitting comfortably to qualify for the playoffs, so it is disappointing to find ourselves in this position."

This will be the first time Lucknow Super Giants will not make the playoffs. And you wonder whether to blame their batting or bowling. With only 65 wickets in 13 matches, they are the least successful bowling unit of the season. Batting-wise, they have among the worst averages (29) and run-rates (8.93) for the season.