In a thrilling showdown at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, pacer Akash Madhwal displayed an exceptional bowling performance, claiming an astonishing five-wicket haul (5/5), to guide Mumbai Indians to a resounding 81-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2023 eliminator. The win propels Mumbai Indians into Qualifier 2, where they will face defending champions Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday.
Lucknow appeared strong in their chase of 183, reaching 68/2 in eight overs. However, a dramatic collapse followed as they crumbled to be all out for 101 in 16.3 overs. Madhwal's remarkable figures of 5/5 in 3.1 overs not only led his team to victory but also etched his name in IPL playoffs history, recording the best-ever bowling figures in this crucial stage of the tournament.
Mumbai Indians also benefited from three costly run-outs by Lucknow's batting lineup, adding to the excitement of the match as they secured their spot in Qualifier 2.
In pursuit of 183, Mumbai Indians struck early in the second over when Madhwal had Prerak Mankad caught at deep point. A couple of overs later, Chris Jordan claimed the wicket of Mayers, who mistimed a pull shot to mid-on.
Mumbai came close to another breakthrough in the fifth over, but Nehal Wadhera misjudged a catch off Marcus Stoinis. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Stoinis hit boundaries off Cameron Green and Hrithik Shokeen, including a powerful six down the ground.
However, Lucknow's chase began to crumble when Krunal Pandya was caught at long-on off Piyush Chawla in the ninth over. Madhwal's return in the tenth over turned the tide in Mumbai's favor. He dismantled Ayush Badoni's off-stump and dismissed Nicholas Pooran for a golden duck.
The game took a further twist when a collision with Deepak Hooda resulted in Stoinis being run-out in the 12th over. Krishnappa Gowtham was then run-out in the following over. Madhwal continued to excel, dismissing Ravi Bishnoi at long-on and contributing to another run-out, this time involving Hooda.
In his final over, Madhwal sealed his remarkable five-wicket haul by clean bowling Mohsin Khan with a perfect yorker, solidifying Mumbai Indians' dominant and emphatic triumph.
The outstanding performance by Akash Madhwal and Mumbai Indians' collective effort in the field will undoubtedly boost their confidence as they gear up to face Gujarat Titans in the high-stakes Qualifier 2 clash.
Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians 182/8 in 20 overs (Cameron Green 41, Suryakumar Yadav 33; Naveen-ul-Haq 4/38, Yash Thakur 3/34) beat Lucknow Super Giants 101 all out in 16.3 overs (Marcus Stoinis 40; Akash Madhwal 5/5) by 81 runs