Rohit, Naman fifties in vain as Mumbai end campaign with 18-run loss to Lucknow

Rohit Sharma saved his best for the last but that wasn’t enough to stop another woeful chapter being added to Mumbai Indians’ already nightmare of an IPL season, which ended in a last-place finish following a disappointing 18-run defeat to Lucknow Super Giants on Friday night.

After Rohit smacked his way to a 38-ball 68 to set a strong platform in pursuit of 215, Mumbai’s batters failed to keep momentum going in middle overs and finished at 196 for six in 20 overs to hand LSG a much-needed win.

For LSG, who needed a victory over MI and other results over the weekend to go their way to make an improbable entry into the playoffs, reached the sixth spot but their net run rate only improving marginally to -0.667.

Apart from Rohit’s brilliance at the top, the young Naman Dhir gave a fine exhibition of his talent with a half-century but it came when all was lost and there was no pressure on him.

Dhir struck five sixes and four fours in a late assault which only reduced the margin of defeat for his side to a large extent.

This season, in all likelihood, marks the end of Rohit’s 14-year journey with Mumbai Indians. It would also be interesting to see if likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah agree on retention or go back to the auction pool.

Earlier, Nicholas Pooran hammered an audacious sensational 29-ball 75 while skipper K.L Rahul scored a trademark patient half-century as Lucknow Super Giants posted 214/6 in 20 overs.

Coming in with his team crawling at 69/3 at the halfway mark, Pooran blasted five boundaries and eight maximums, making him the player to hit the maximum number of sixes for LSG, as he and Rahul cobbled together a superb partnership in which the West Indies batter did most of the scoring.

Pooran raced to his fifty off 19 balls and raised a 100-run partnership off 40-odd deliveries to set up LSG on course for a total past 200. Nuwan Thushara and Piyush Chawla claimed three wickets each — picking three wickets without the addition of a run in the death overs to pull things back for the inexperienced Mumbai Indians bowling unit in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah after skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bowl first.

Lucknow Super Giants got off to a poor start losing Devcutt Padikkal, who came in for Quinton de Kock and opened the innings for the first time this season, was trapped lbw by Nuwan Thushara off the third ball of the opening over, in which he bowled two wides. Padikkal left for a zero, exhausting one DRS review in the process.

Skipper Rahul and Marcus Stoinis propelled the score to 49, with the overseas player hitting five boundaries as he scored 28 off 22 balls before he was sent back by Piyush Chawla, LSG down to 49/2 in the sixth over.

Stoinis was trapped plumb in front by a wrong’un and LSG were down to 69/3 when Deepak Hooda was out for 11, caught brilliantly by Nehal Wadhera off Chawla. He failed to keep down his slice through off-side and Wadhera pulled off a double-handed catch off a perfectly-timed dive. LSG were 69/3 at the halfway stage.

But Pooran, who stepped into the field, changed the complexion of the game with a stunning assault on the Mumbai Indians bowling, hammering five sixes in his first 35 runs.

Pooran put on a dazzling display of power-hitting as he started his extraordinary knock with a six off Anshul Kamboj in the 11th over. In the next over by Kamboj, Pooran smashed a four and two sixes, picking the attempted yorkers cleanly out of the ground. Hardik was hit for two sixes in the 14th over as the Mumbai Indians bowlers bowled to the West Indies batter’s strength, giving him width and an opportunity to chance his arms.

Pooran went berserk in the 15th over, hitting Arjun for sixes off successive balls, picking the full-tosses cleanly as he raced to his third fifty of IPL 2024 off just 19 balls.

Tendulkar walked off the ground with cramps and Pooran celebrated the landmark by hammering Naman Dhir, who completed the over, for a six and four off successive deliveries.

Agencies