The stage was perfectly set. A return to the Wankhede Stadium after 1083 days. Mentor Sachin Tendulkar's 49th birthday. Not a very high total on the board. And yet, somehow, Mumbai Indians failed to secure their first win of the IPL 2022 season, suffering a 36-run defeat to Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday, April 24. KL Rahul was Lucknow's star performer with the Lucknow skipper notching up his second hundred of the season, coincidentally against the same opposition as his side. And aided by a clinical bowling performance, Lucknow Super Giants fetched their fifth victory in eight matches to move to the fourth spot on the points table. Ishan Kishan Dismissal Video: Watch How Left-Hander Gets Out Bizarrely During LSG vs MI IPL 2022 Clash

Chasing 169 to win, Mumbai Indians were given a great start by skipper Rohit Sharma, who finally looked to be back in form. But Ishan Kishan's struggles at the other end was a visual representation of Mumbai's IPL 2022 performance. The left-hander had a difficult stay at the crease for his eight off 20 deliveries before a bizarre dismissal ended his struggles. Sharma (39) looked to be holding the chase together but Dewald Brevis' dismissal at the other end prompted him to play a poor shot and get out.

Suryakumar Yadav was left stunned by Ayush Badoni when the youngster dismissed him with KL Rahul taking a sharp catch. It all seemed over for Mumbai but Tilak Varma harboured hopes of a fightback. But despite his 38 off 27, Mumbai were unable to get over the line, failing to do so for the eighth time this season.  Earlier, Rahul was the lone star in Lucknow's batting performance, with no other batter even scoring 30. Can Mumbai Indians Still Qualify for IPL 2022 Playoffs After 36-Run Defeat to Lucknow Super Giants?

The right-hander started off slowly but accelerated in no time to take his team to a considerate 168/6. Kieron Pollard was Mumbai's best bet with the ball with two wickets for just eight runs in two overs. Here are some stat highlights of the game.

#KL Rahul scored his fourth IPL hundred and third vs Mumbai Indians.

#He also joined Virat Kohli as the only batters to have scored two hundreds against one team in a single IPL season

#Rahul also got past 300 runs this season, the first Indian to do so.

#He also has six T20 hundreds, the most by an Indian batter alongside Rohit Sharma.

Lucknow Super Giants will now look forward to carrying this winning momentum when they take on Punjab Kings on April 29. Mumbai Indians on the other hand, will aim to regroup and get their first win this season when they take on Rajasthan Royals on April 30.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 25, 2022 12:44 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).