Rohit Sharma roars back to keep Mumbai Indians alive in playoffs race

Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians (229/4 in 18.4 ovs) beat Lucknow Super Giants (228/5 in 20 ovs) by 6 wickets at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

MI vs LSG: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD

Rohit Sharma showed on Monday just how much Mumbai Indians had missed him during his absence with a hamstring injury. With MI staring at the prospect of an early elimination, Rohit ensured their playoff hopes stayed alive, guiding them to a commanding six-wicket win over the Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium.

Rohit fell short of what would have been a well-deserved third IPL century, but his 84 off 44 balls, studded with seven sixes, helped MI chase down a daunting target of 229 with eight balls to spare.

Hardik Pandya missed the game due to a back spasm in a significant setback for MI, but Suryakumar Yadav found the perfect ally in Rohit, who showed no signs of rust despite being out for more than three weeks. The MI opener was so brutal that Mumbai Indians pulled off their highest successful run chase in IPL history.

For the Super Giants, the campaign continues to spiral downward as they remain rooted to the bottom of the table. Having now lost six matches, Rishabh Pant’s side needs nothing short of a miraculous turnaround to stay in contention for the playoffs.

POORAN LIGHTS UP WANKHEDE

After being asked to bat first, the Super Giants didn’t get off to the best of starts, with Josh Inglis departing cheaply. But Nicholas Pooran put on an absolute exhibition, ensuring that LSG racked up 90 runs in the powerplay, recording their best powerplay in IPL history. Pooran, who had been searching for form, redeemed himself with a blistering 16-ball half-century.

Pooran went on a six-hitting spree, showing why one should never write off a batter of his brute force. He joined hands with Mitchell Marsh, and the duo added 94 runs for the second wicket off just 34 balls. Pooran eventually scored 63 off 21 deliveries, smashing eight sixes, before Corbin Bosch accounted for his wicket.

Bosch also dismissed Marsh, who made 44 off 25, in the same over. However, Marsh and Pooran ensured that the Super Giants reached 143 for three at the halfway mark. At that stage, it seemed LSG were destined to post a total around the 250-run mark, if not more.

MI MAKE STUNNING COMEBACK

From there on, MI pulled things back beautifully as LSG could manage only 88 runs in their last 10 overs. Jasprit Bumrah struggled a bit, bowling three no-balls in the match, one of which robbed him off the wicket of Himmat Singh. Yet again, he went wicketless, underlining how tough it has been for MI’s premier pacer.

While Bumrah struggled, the rest of the MI bowlers managed to keep the LSG batters in check. Rishabh Pant (15) endured another failure before Will Jacks accounted for his wicket. Aiden Markram (31*) and Himmat Singh (40) did stitch together a 68-run partnership, but they could hardly accelerate as MI’s bowlers didn’t allow them to open their shoulders.

For Raghu Sharma, the game was special after he took his maiden IPL wicket in the form of Akshat Raghuwanshi and then celebrated by pulling out a special note from his pocket. The Super Giants did score 229, their highest this IPL, but it still felt just about par, especially at a venue where even 240 doesn’t always seem safe.

ROHIT, RICKELTON POWER MI HOME

With a steep chase ahead, Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma never looked flustered at any stage. The pair came out all guns blazing, powering Mumbai Indians to 71 in the powerplay. Rickelton brought up a blistering fifty off just 22 balls, not allowing the bowlers from the Lucknow Super Giants to settle. Soon after, Rohit, who came in as an Impact Sub for Raghu Sharma, unveiled his full range, reaching his half-century in 27 balls.

Together, Rickelton and Rohit stitched a commanding 143-run opening stand off just 71 deliveries, firmly placing Mumbai in control. Mohsin Khan eventually broke through for the Super Giants, dismissing Rickelton for a scintillating 83 off 32, but by then the task had already slipped out of their grasp.

Rohit fell slightly against the run of play, with M. Siddharth accounting for him, but the damage had long been done. Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma departed cheaply, yet Naman Dhir’s unbeaten 23 off 12 ensured MI cruised past the finish line without any late jitters.

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