Mumbai Indians felt the absence of Rohit Sharma at the top as openers Ryan Rickelton and Will Jacks fell cheaply within the powerplay. However, Naman Dhir and Suryakumar Yadav steadied the innings, building a crucial partnership that took the score to 86/2 by the eighth over.
The stand was eventually broken by Digvesh Singh Rathi, who dismissed Dhir just as Mumbai looked to accelerate. Yet, Suryakumar Yadav continued to impress, taking the attack to the LSG bowlers.
His aggressive intent was clear when he hit Avesh Khan for back-to-back boundaries, leaving LSG skipper Rishabh Pant visibly frustrated with his bowler’s execution.
On the second ball of the 11th over, Avesh Khan delivered a full ball outside off, which Suryakumar timed beautifully for a square drive past backward point for four. The very next delivery saw Avesh repeat the mistake, offering an overpitched ball around the fourth stump.
This time, Suryakumar leaned into the shot and executed a textbook cover drive, sending the ball racing to the boundary. The back-to-back boundaries sparked an animated reaction from Rishabh Pant, who was clearly furious with Avesh’s repeated line. ‘
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Gesturing in frustration, Pant questioned why Avesh was bowling in Suryakumar’s hitting arc, knowing the batter was in prime form. Pant’s visible outburst quickly caught the attention of fans and set social media abuzz.