Mumbai. April 27, 2025
With his team roaring back into playoffs contention with five wins in a row after a typical slow start in which they won one match in the first five, Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya said his players know when to kill the game and were awesome against Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday.
Mumbai Indians rode on brilliant bowling by Jasprit Bumrah (4-22) and Trent Boult (3-20), who shared seven wickets between them, after Ryan Rickelton and Suryakumar Yadav struck attacking half-centuries to outplay Lucknow Super Giants by 54 runs for their fifth successive win in Match 45 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Wankhede Stadium here.
The five-time champions were off to a blazing start but seemed to be losing their way in the middle overs as they slipped to 180/6 in the 18th over after it looked like they would reach 210-220. Naman Dhir (25 not out off 11) and Corbin Bosch (20 off 10) landed some lusty blows as Mumbai Indians reached 215/7 in 20 overs.
The last time the Mumbai Indians won five matches in a row was in 2020 when they went all the way to win the title. But Pandya said they are not thinking about that.
Pandya was happy that every player is chipping in with their effort to help them carry forward the momentum and heaped praise on Nama Dhir and Corbin Bosch for proving the finishing touch to their innings.
“The momentum which we had, and carrying that momentum and everyone has been chipping. Everyone kept taking the chances. At the end, it looked like we had lost a few wickets. But Bosch and Naman came in and chipped in. We knew when to kill the game, and we were awesome. The good teams are made of that when everyone comes in and chips in,” said Pandya after the match.
The Mumbai Indians captain, who was booed at the same Wankhede Stadium last year after being abruptly handed the captaincy from long-time skipper Rohit Sharma, marshalled his troops superbly, using the multiple bowling resources at his disposal and ringing in changes at the right time.
Pandya used seven bowlers, including himself, rotating them in short spells, which did not allow the batters to settle into a rhythm. He got to bowl only one over but the skipper defended under-bowling himself and said he wanted to give a chance to debutant all-rounder Bosch.
“Whenever it is required, I bowl. Today I thought it was a great chance for Bosch to come in and bowl,” said Pandya.
The Mumbai Indians skipper was happy with his team winning five matches in a row, but said they will not get carried away by that.
“This competition is very tough, and we can’t afford to get carried away. We will always look forward to playing good cricket, and always look at the next game,” said Pandya.
Mumbai Indians will now travel to Jaipur for a clash with Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on May 1.
MI and Pandya have already switched their focus to that match after celebrating their five-in-a-row performance with a victory lap of the Wankhede on Sunday, appreciating the vocal support of the 19,000-plus children from various city-based NGOs who watched the match as part of the Education and Sport for All (ESA) Day.(Agency)
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