Lucknow Super Giants lost....again! Now that shouldn't be surprising, given how poor they have been this season. However, not many teams go on to lose a match when they are 123/1 after 8 overs.
There was a batting order reshuffle at LSG yet again and Josh Inglis finally played.
However, it was Nicholas Pooran who made a grand return to form after returning to No.3 again.
Rishabh Pant endured another disappointing outing as LSG went from 123/1 after 8 overs to 228/5 in 20.
Ryan Rickelton did what Ryan Rickelton has been doing the last few games and he had the returning Rohit Sharma for company, who also went berserk.
One of them made 84, the other made 83 and that was more than enough for a resounding MI win.
Oh, that happened
Another lacklustre outing for the great Jasprit Bumrah. Four overs bowled, 45 runs conceded and once again, no wickets. This has become a pattern now this season and no wonder MI are languishing comfortably outside the top 4. But these performances definitely have context. Two forces have largely shaped Bumrah's returns this season: an extreme run-scoring environment at home and a bowling unit that hasn't held its end.
Pulse Awards
The rotation fallacy award goes to LSG for turning the opening slot into a turntable, trying and ditching new partners for Mitch Marsh. Last night, they paired up Marsh with Josh Inglis, their third combination in three games, and fourth overall. Funnily, only once has their opening pair crossed fifty in nine games. And it doesn't look pretty when you're bottom of the table.
The slog hog award goes to Nicholas Pooran for tearing into MI's spinners, producing an array of leg-side swipes that were absent so far this season. Hurtling through a painful run of form, Pooran found his gears and how, tonking eight sixes, six of which came off spinners. The spin-killer arrived, but a tad too late.
The pokey outlier award is Tilak Varma's for being the odd-one-out, ambling to 11 off 13 in a 457-run match aggregate, the only batter across teams with a sub-120 strike-rate.
The rustproof regalia award goes to Rohit Sharma's royally exquisite batting for losing no sheen despite a three-week break. He put on a glorious display, lofting in the Powerplay with effortless ease and timing the ball as well as he ever has.
Raghu Sharma wins the battle of the newbies award for taking out his fellow debutant, Akshat Raghuwanshi. And, to cap off the achievement of note, he pulled out a note from his pocket, highlighting his 15 years of toil. It even caught his teammates by surprise, who curiously craned their necks to figure out his scribble.
Talking point
Rohit Sharma returned. And he returned in style to give a massive boost to this struggling MI side. Playing purely as an Impact Sub to manage his return from injury, Rohit put on a show alongside Ryan Rickelton. They both combined to smash 15 sixes that pretty much sealed the deal. As for Rohit himself, his strike rate in the Powerplay was 180. Post that, it surged to 200. This was Rohit at his menacing best and even though MI's chances are still slim, they could hurt a few more teams along the way.
Who's saying what
"I always knew, as an opposition player with the Australian team, and I now know as an opposition player with Lucknow Super Giants, what a player he is. And this is the brilliance of the IPL that every night, on TV or at the ground, we watch some of the greatest talent on earth." Justin Langer was in awe of Rohit Sharma last night.
"Yeah, you know, one of Mumbai's greatest, one of India's greatest. So really enjoy spending time out there." Add Ryan Rickelton's name to the Rohit Sharma fanclub.
"I think we need some good luck, man. That's the only thing I'm going to say." Rishabh Pant summed up the mood in that LSG camp the best way he can.
"See, even we scored 244 a few days back and Sunrisers chased it. So we always knew, anything around 220-225-230 will be chaseable." MI were always confident according to stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
Stat Snack
Another 220+ total was hunted down with relative ease. This has become the norm in IPL 2026. Mumbai Indians themselves, despite all their struggles, have broken their own record for the highest run chase twice now. Having chased down 221 against KKR very early in the tournament, they eclipsed it last night by hunting down 229. Only Punjab Kings have now successfully chased down more 200+ totals than MI.
What's the latest gossip?
The Dhoni suspense continues to keep social media abuzz, with theories of all sorts floating around. That he did not travel to Delhi put another question mark on his status, even as CSK insisted he will appear "at some stage". CSK play their next home game on May 10, and the final one on the 18th. As is customary, one expects Thala to extend 'Yellorukkum Thanks' to fans, lapping around the Chepauk with the team. But until then, expect more twists and turns.
Tonight's watchlist
A crucial fixture that could significantly impact their playoff aspirations. Both CSK and DC have played the same number of fixtures and have fetched the same number of wins. Tonight's winner will enhance their own chances while denting the opposition's.
