Mumbai, May 4 (IANS) Nicholas Pooran blazed to a 16-ball half-century and shared a 94-run partnership with opener Mitchell Marsh (44) as Lucknow Super Giants managed to score 228/5 against Mumbai Indians in Match 47 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.

Pooran smashed 63 runs off 21 balls, and Marsh blasted 44 off 25 as LSG survived a middle-order collapse to post a challenging total in what is a must-win match for both sides, who are scraping the bottom of the points table with four points each from two wins.

Asked to bat first by Suryakumar Yadav, who was leading the Mumbai Indians in the absence of Hardik Pandya, who was out with back spasms, LSG made a brisk start but lost debutant Josh Inglis for a five-ball 13 with the score reading 29, offering a catch to Yadav off spinner AM Ghazanfar.

But Mitchell Marsh, who handed Inglis his debut cap, along with Nicholas Pooran, restored to the No.3 spot, rescued LSG with a 94-run partnership in double quick time.

It all started in the fourth over when Marsh struck Jasprit Bumrah for one six and two fours, including one off a no-ball. Pooran got going in the next over, smashing back-to-back sixes and a four as they scored 20 runs off him. The sixth over went for 19 runs as Pooran smashed Ghazanfar for two sixes and a four as LSG reached 90/1 in the Power-play.

Pooran and Marsh hammered 94 runs in five overs starting from the fourth, as the West Indian dasher blazed to his half-century off 16 balls, smashing one four and seven sixes.

Things turned for the Mumbai Indians in the 9th over when Corbin Bosch struck two crucial blows in his second over of the spell. He first snapped up the rampaging Pooran for 63 (21 balls, 1×4, 8×6) and then sent back Marsh for a 25-ball 44 (25 balls, 4×4, 3×6).

It was an eventful over as Bosch got Pooran with a short one that climbed a bit more than what the batter expected and took the glove to keeper Ryan Rickelton. Two balls later, Rishabh Pant survived a huge appeal for caught-behind as the TV umpire ruled in his favour, as the ball dropped just short of the keeper.

But two balls later, there was no such luck for Marsh as the Aussie hit flat and straight to Naman Dhir at deep midwicket off another short one by Bosch. LSG lost both set batters in that one over, and things became quiet for the next couple of overs.

LSG’s troubles continued as skipper Pant edged back to Rickelton off Will Jacks for a 10-ball 15 (1×4, 1×6) and Akshat Raghuwanshi was caught by leggie Raghu Sharma off his own bowling for a 7-ball 11. Lucknow Super Giants, who were cruising at 123/1 at the end of the eighth over, slumped to 160/5 in the 13th over.

Bumrah had Himmat Singh caught behind off a no-ball, and MI followed up with a couple of quiet overs. However, Aiden Markram, who lost his top-order slot to Pooran, held the innings together with Himmat Singh, who was put down by Suryakumar Yadav. They broke the shackles with the former smashing Ghazanfar for a four in the first ball of the 16th over before Himmat stepped down to wallop him for a six and followed it up with a four off the next delivery.

Markram and Himmat took LSG past the 200-run mark as they raised fifty of their partnership in 32 balls. They stayed together till the end, with Himmat Singh hitting some brave shots on his way to 40 not out (31 balls, 2×4, 2×6) and Markram staying unbeaten on 31 off 25 (1×4, 1×6), as they raised 68 runs for the unfinished sixth wicket partnership to help LSG post a challenging total.

Brief scores:

Lucknow Super Giants 228/5 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 63, Mitchell Marsh 44, Himmat Singh 40 not out, Aiden Markram 31 not out; Corbin Bosch 2-20, Raghu Sharma 1-36) against Mumbai Indians.

–IANS

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