IPL 2025: In-form Mumbai Indians Take On LSG In Clash Of Playoff Hopefuls

Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari: On a high after four wins in a row and rising to the fourth position in the points table, Mumbai Indians will be hoping to ride the momentum when they meet Lucknow Super Giants in Match 45 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday.

Mumbai Indians are currently in the fourth position with 10 points from nine matches and would be aiming to strengthen their case for a place in the playoffs with another win. Their opponents, Lucknow Super Giants also have 10 points from nine matches but are down at sixth position on net run rate.

Hardik Pandya's team has finally found its mojo after starting their IPL 2025 campaign with back-to-back defeats and suffering losses in two successive matches again. One of those defeats was against LSG at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

Sunday's clash at the Wankhede Stadium presents them an opportunity for revenge. They have got a nice rhythm going with talismanic opener Rohit Sharma getting back into form with back-to-back half-centuries while Suryakumar Yadav is now at his usual inventive and destructive best hitting unbelievable angles and scoring runs at a fast clip. Ryan Rickelton, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, and Hardik Pandya have also made vital contributions in their surge up the points table.

But it is the bowlers that have led the charge for Mumbai Indians. Jasprit Bumrah, whose return to action after a long injury layoff which coincides with Mumbai Indians' resurgence, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar along with youngsters Vignesh Puthur and Ashwani Kumar have stepped up to the plate to help the team get into the position its finds itself now.

Lucknow Super Giants, just like MI, started their campaign with a defeat but have recovered from that setback to reach the position they are in now. Their batting has carried them so far with Nicholas Pooran (377), Mitchell Marsh (344), and Aiden Markram (328) all in the top 10 in the Orange Cap rankings. Ayush Badoni has held their middle order together, having scored 217 runs in nine matches with David Miller (118) and Abdul Samad (113) contributing to the cause.

Their only worry on the batting front is the indifferent form of skipper Rishabh Pant, who has only one half-century, 63 against Chennai Super Kings, to show.

On the bowling front, Shardul Thakur has led their charge after getting a lucky entry into the squad as an injury replacement. The Mumbai all-rounder has taken 12 wickets in nine matches while Digvesh Singh has been a revelation with nine wickets with both Avesh Khan (8) and Ravi Bishnoi (8) making vital contributions.

Mumbai Indians have found the Wankhede Stadium pitch to their liking having won crucial matches against CSK, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Sunrisers Hyderabad at home. The pitch has helped the bowlers initially and the batters in the later half with dew setting in. It is likely to continue doing so on Sunday too.

On recent form, Mumbai Indians have an edge having won four of their last five matches while LSG have three wins. However, in the overall reckoning, Lucknow Super Giants have an edge having won six of the seven matches played between them. MI now have an opportunity to rectify the stats a bit.

Squads:

Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Shrijith Krishnan (wk), Bevon Jacobs, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Will Jacks, Mitchell Santner, Raj Angad Bawa, Vignesh Puthur, Corbin Bosch, Trent Boult, Karn Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, VS Penmetsa, Arjun Tendulkar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Jasprit Bumrah.

Squads:

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Article Source: IANS