No Jofra Archer, no problem. After defying the odds by entering the business end of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 with an injury-ridden side, Rohit Sharma's Mumbai Indians (MI) cashed in on the bowling brilliance of young Akash Madhwal to outclass Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Eliminator at the Chepauk. Madhwal's record-equalling five-wicket haul turned the heavyweight contest into a one-sided encounter as Mumbai Indians thrashed the KL Rahul-less side by 81 runs on Wednesday.
From captain Rohit to Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, to the owners – Akash Ambani and Nita Ambani - the entire MI camp was in euphoria after Mumbai Indians hammered Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2023 playoffs. While Rohit was mighty impressed with the bowling performance of Madhwal, batting legend Tendulkar gave a standing ovation to the MI players following their memorable win at Chepauk. A video of the priceless moment was also shared by the official Twitter handle of the IPL.
VIDEO: Tendulkar, Rohit, Ambanis celebrate MI's win vs LSG in IPL 2023 Eliminator
Batting first, Rohit and Co. posted a challenging total against Krunal Pandya's men in the Eliminator. Entertaining knocks from Suryakumar Yadav (33), Cameron Green (41) and Tilak Varma (26) lifted MI to 182/8 in 20 overs. In reply, LSG folded for 101 in 16.3 overs, courtesy of pacer Madhwal, who demolished the world-class batting lineup of Lucknow.
{{/usCountry}}Batting first, Rohit and Co. posted a challenging total against Krunal Pandya's men in the Eliminator. Entertaining knocks from Suryakumar Yadav (33), Cameron Green (41) and Tilak Varma (26) lifted MI to 182/8 in 20 overs. In reply, LSG folded for 101 in 16.3 overs, courtesy of pacer Madhwal, who demolished the world-class batting lineup of Lucknow.
{{/usCountry}}Madhwal bagged the crucial wickets of Ayush Badoni and Nicholas Pooran in the same over to put MI in the driving seat. The Uttarakhand pacer bagged five wickets and leaked only 5 runs to match Anil Kumble's massive feat in the IPL. With the win, Rohit's MI havemade it to the Qualifier 2 of the IPL 2023. They will meet Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 of the IPL 2023 at Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday.
“That is what we have done over the years. People don't expect us to do what we have done, but we managed to,” Rohit said after the match.
“It's nice that it's going well at the moment. Our batting's been really good. We had a pretty poor game last game [in terms of fielding]. When you bowl second, all the guys who have batted can bring the energy. Madhwal has been awesome: the moment he came, we realised he is special. Gujarat are the best team. It's going to be a tough challenge, especially on their home turf,” said Cameron Green.