Lucknow, April 4 (IANS) Openers Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram smashed fifties while David Miller applied finishing touches with a late cameo as the trio carried Lucknow Super Giants to 203/8 in their 20 overs against Mumbai Indians in match 16 of IPL 2025 at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Marsh capitalised on pace-on deliveries to hit 60 off 31 balls, his third fifty of the competition. After his fall, Markram stepped up to smash 53 off 38 balls, while Miller brought out the big hits in a 14-ball 27 and ensure LSG posted a 200-plus total for the second time.
For MI, who conceded 69 runs in power-play, Hardik Pandya led the way with the ball by picking up 5-36, his first five-for in T20 cricket. The MI skipper used the conditions very well by relying more on his slower balls to get his scalps and become the first-ever IPL captain to take a fifer.
Inserted into batting first, Marsh was quick off the blocks by punching Trent Boult for four and got a lucky reprieve when his edge was found by the pacer, but MI never appealed. He then hammered Deepak Chahar for three boundaries, before lofting Boult over mid-off for six and inner-edging off him for four more.
Marsh’s superb march continued as he hammered and cut off Mitchell Santner for two boundaries, before lofting and pulling Ashwani Kumar for six and four before a brace got him his fifty in 27 balls. Marsh’s onslaught continued as he clubbed and punched Ashwani for two more fours as LSG ended power-play at 69/0.
But against the run of play, MI broke the 77-run opening stand when Marsh looked to drive off Vignesh Puthur, but gave a simple catch back to the leg-spinner and fall for 60. Pandya struck in his first over as Nicholas Pooran couldn’t get on top of a slower bouncer and top-edge was caught by short fine leg for 12.
He came back to fox Rishabh Pant with an off-cutter and leading edge on an early flick was caught by diving mid-off, sending the LSG skipper back for just two. Amidst all this, Markram stepped up to keep LSG afloat with his sixes over long-on and boundaries over the off-side, while Ayush Badoni got a move on by lofting, sweeping and cutting Santner for a hat-trick of fours.
After hitting a four off Ashwani through an expansive scoop, Badoni tried repeating the shot on the next ball, but he couldn’t adjust for the slowness of the delivery and was caught behind by Ryan Rickelton for a 19-ball 30.
Markram continued to hold the innings together by reaching his fifty in 34 balls, before being undone by yet another off-cutter from Pandya and holed out to long-off for 53. Though Abdul Samad pulled to long-on off Boult, Miller hit two fours and a six in his late knock to take LSG past 200, before he and Akash Deep were dismissed by Pandya, who now has 8 scalps.
Brief Scores: Lucknow Super Giants 203/8 in 20 overs (Mitchell Marsh 60, Aiden Markram 53; Hardik Pandya 5-36) against Mumbai Indians
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