Mumbai Indians' IPL 2022 campaign just keeps getting from bad to worse as now, they have suffered their sixth straight defeat of the season, going down to Lucknow Super Giants by 18 runs on Saturday, April 16. KL Rahul made the most of his 100th match in the competition as he lit the stage with a century to propel his side to 199/4. That turned out to be a winning total in the end as Lucknow Super Giants grabbed their fourth victory to move to the second spot on the IPL 2022 points table. IPL 2022 Points Table Updated With NRR: Lucknow Super Giants Go Second After Win Over Mumbai Indians
Chasing 200, one batter needed to bat through the innings for Mumbai and that did not happen. Skipper Rohit Sharma's poor form continued with the bat and Ishan Kishan, Mumbai's most expensive player this season, too failed to make an impact. Dewald Brevis showed signs of fighting back for Mumbai but his entertaining 13-ball 31-run knock came to an end with Avesh Khan getting rid of him after being hit for a few boundaries. A 64-run stand between Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma did raise hopes of Mumbai's comeback but Lucknow seized control of the game completely after both these batters perished. Despite some hits from Jaydev Unadkat (14) and Kieron Pollard (25), Mumbai fell short. With this result, Mumbai Indians' chances of qualifying for the playoffs have become increasingly difficult.
Earlier, Rahul grabbed the spotlight with a 103*-run knock off 60 deliveries as Lucknow posted 199/4. Mumbai Indians' bowlers were once again put to the sword with Tymal Mills being the most expensive one, conceding 54 runs in three overs. Jaydev Unadkat was their best with figures of 2/32. Jasprit Bumrah had a decent day with no wickets and 24 runs off his four overs.
Here are some stat highlights from the game:
#Mumbai Indians have lost six consecutive games for the first time in the IPL
#KL Rahul played his 100th IPL match.
#He also scored his 3rd IPL century
#It was Rahul's second hundred vs Mumbai Indians.
#Rahul also struck his second IPL century as captain, with Virat Kohli topping the list with five hundreds as skipper
Lucknow Super Giants will aim to maintain this momentum when they next face Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 19. Mumbai Indians, now in a precarious position, will aim to get off the mark when they face defending champions Chennai Super Kings on April 21.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 16, 2022 08:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).