 "IPL 2023 Eliminator: Akash Madhwal's 5/5 blows LSG away as MI storm into Qualifier 2 with 81-run win")
Mumbai Indians (MI) continued their fairytale run in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL), storming into Qualifier 2 with an 81-run hammering of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Eliminator in Chennai on Wednesday. IPL 2023: Full coverage | Points table | Schedule | Results | Orange Cap | Purple Cap Five-time champions MI, who snuck into the playoffs with a convincing victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Sunday along with Gujarat Titans’ (GT) hammering of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), posted a competitive 182/8 on the board with Cameron Green once again top-scoring for the side with a 23-ball 41. But it was Akash Madhwal’s destructive haul of 5/5 that helped dismantle the power-packed LSG batting lineup on a Chepauk wicket that was a better surface to bat on compared to the one used for Qualifier 1, in which Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated GT by 15 runs to reach their 10th IPL final.
MI, who had suffered a heartbreaking five-run loss against LSG in Lucknow on 16 May, face defending champions GT in their next assignment, in Qualifier 2 at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday. The winner of that encounter will then face four-time champions CSK at the same venue on Sunday, 28 May. Mumbai cross 180 despite Naveen’s four-fer Green, who helped Mumbai pull off a sensational chase against Hyderabad with an unbeaten 100, was once again in his element at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, collecting two boundaries in his first three deliveries of the evening. He would play a big role in helping MI recover from the dismissals of openers Rohit and Ishan Kishan in the powerplay by stitching an attacking 66-run partnership with Suryakumar Yadav (33 off 20). Their dismissals, however, led to a slowdown of sorts for Mumbai, who failed to collect a single boundary between overs 13 and 15 during which the run rate also dipped below nine-an-over. Thanks to valuable contributions from Tilak Verma (26 off 22) and Impact Player Nehal Wadhera (23 off 12), who replaced SKY in the XI, Mumbai managed to go past the 180-mark in the end. Naveen-ul-Haq, who has been in the news for the wrong reasons than right more often than not following his on-field spat with RCB superstar Virat Kohli, was the pick of the Lucknow bowlers with 4/38. Madhwal demolishes Lucknow Given the firepower that they possessed in their ranks, Mumbai needed early strikes if they were to tame the Lucknow batting lineup that had smashed 257 against Punjab — this second-highest total in the history of the tournament — earlier this season. Madhwal grabbed the first of his five wickets of the evening by dismissing Prerak Mankad, who holed out to Hrithik Shokeen at deep point with 12 on the board. Attacking opener Kyle Mayers, who was brought back in place of Quinton de Kock for the crucial knockout clash, was next to depart, holing out to Green off Chris Jordan’s bowling as LSG crawled to 28/2 after four. Green then nearly had fellow Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis dismissed off his first ball of the evening, with the latter going for an aerial drive in the direction of Wadhera at deep point only for the fielder to misjudge the trajectory of the ball and spill the chance. Stoinis would then crack two fours and a six in three consecutive deliveries in an 18-run over from Shokeen to close out the powerplay, making Mumbai wonder if they had let the game slip out of their grasp by handing the dangerous Stoinis a lifeline. Fortunately for Mumbai, veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla created an opening in the ninth over by dismissing LSG skipper Krunal Pandya, breaking the 46-run third-wicket stand that was beginning to tilt the balance of the game in favour of Lucknow. The game-changer, however, was Madhwal’s twin-strike in the following over; the Uttarakhand pacer sent the off stump on a cartwheel to dismiss Ayush Badoni for 1, and would well and truly put Mumbai on top by bagging the prized wicket of Nicholas Pooran, who had been something of an x-factor in the Lucknow batting lineup, the very next ball, getting the West Indian caught-behind with a beauty of a delivery.
The flurry of wickets not only led to gloomy faces in the Lucknow dugout, it also threw the batters in the middle into a state of disarray. Stoinis would end up getting run-out at the striker’s end after colliding with Deepak Hooda in the middle of the pitch, his dismissal for 40 effectively putting one foot in Qualifier 2 for Mumbai. MI’s fielding would take centre-stage once again in the following over with Krishnappa Gowtham run out at the striker’s end by a brilliant direct hit by skipper Rohit from cover. Ravi Bishnoi would offer Jordan a sitter at long on to give Madhwal his fourth scalp in the 15th over, with Hooda getting run out two balls later after getting involved in another mix-up, this time with Naveen. Madhwal would then put Lucknow out of their misery by yorking Mohsin out to complete a memorable day with a haul of 5/5. Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 182/8 in 20 overs (Cameron Green 41, Suryakumar Yadav 33; Naveen-ul-Haq 4/38) defeated Lucknow Super Giants 101 in 16.3 overs (Marcus Stoinis 40; Akash Madhwal 5/5) by 81 runs. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .