After back-to-back defeats and a win in their previous outing, Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and chose to bowl first at Ekana Stadium. Lucknow openers Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram got off to a flying start, with Marsh bringing up his fifty in just 27 balls.
LSG raced to 69/0 by the end of the powerplay. Mumbai responded in the seventh over as Vignesh Puthur dismissed Marsh, breaking the opening partnership.
Nicholas Pooran walked in but lasted only nine balls before falling to Pandya in the ninth over. Skipper Rishabh Pant’s struggles continued as he managed just two runs from six balls, leaving Lucknow further on the back foot.
However, Aiden Markram and Ayush Badoni steadied the innings with a 51-run partnership, lifting the score to 146/3 after 15 overs. Badoni departed for a brisk 30 off 19, but Markram held his ground and reached a well-made half-century off 34 balls.
Unfortunately, Markram fell in the 18th over as Pandya claimed his third wicket. Pandya continued his brilliant spell with the ball and picked up a five-wicket haul, playing a key role in restricting LSG to 203/8 at the end of their 20 overs.
In reply, Mumbai Indians got off to a strong start with the ball as Akash Deep dismissed Will Jacks in the second over. Their momentum continued in the next over with Shardul Thakur removing Ryan Rickelton, leaving Mumbai at 17/2.
However, Suryakumar Yadav and Naman Dhir steadied the innings, counter-attacking to take the score to 64/2 by the end of the powerplay. While Suryakumar anchored the chase, Dhir played the aggressor’s role, smashing 40 off just 19 balls and putting together a vital 50-run stand. At 86/2 after eight overs,
Mumbai appeared to be in a good position. But Digvesh Singh Rathi had other plans, breaking the partnership by removing Dhir in the ninth over.
With 79 runs needed from 42 balls, the responsibility shifted to Suryakumar and Tilak Varma to keep the chase alive. The duo delivered, building a 66-run partnership. Suryakumar brought up a fluent half-century off 31 balls and looked set to take Mumbai home. But just when he seemed unstoppable, Avesh Khan struck, dismissing him with the score at 164/4 in the 17th over. With 40 runs needed from the final three overs, Mumbai’s hopes rested on Pandya and Tilak.
— david Miller (@MillerDavi20894) April 4, 2025
The equation was reduced to 29 required from 12 deliveries, with Shardul Thakur entrusted to bowl the 19th over. Thakur bowled an outstanding over, conceding just seven runs and tightening the pressure on Mumbai.
With 22 needed off the final over, Avesh Khan was given the ball. Hardik Pandya gave Mumbai a glimmer of hope by hitting the first delivery for a six. But with 16 needed off five balls, Avesh responded with a pinpoint yorker, restricting Pandya to just two runs.
Hey Hardik Pandya, learn from Rohit Sharma how to chase 22 runs in the last over.🥱
— 𝐉𝐨𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐞 (@jod_insane) April 4, 2025
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On the next ball, the Mumbai skipper made a surprising call to decline a single and retain the strike. With 14 required from the final two balls, the pressure mounted, and Pandya couldn’t find the boundary. Mumbai ultimately fell short, finishing 12 runs behind in a thrilling contest as Lucknow Super Giants held their nerve in the death overs.