NEW DELHI: Rohit Sharma produced his season’s best in a fighting knock of 68 off 38 balls. However, the effort was not enough to prevent Mumbai Indians (MI) from ending their IPL 2024 on a low note.
In an IPL match played yesterday, last placed MI lost to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 18 runs after closing at 196 for six while chasing 215.
However, Rohit’s early fireworks were met with disappointment as MI’s middle-order faltered under pressure and could not capitalize on the strong foundation laid by its skipper. Youngster Naman Dhir gave a glimpse of his potential with a belated half-century but it did not prove useful enough to alter the course of the match.
Nicholas Pooran struck an explosive 75 off just 29 balls complemented by KL Rahul’s measured fifty-five which helped LSG post a challenging total of 214/6. The win saw them move up one place on the standings to sixth although still they had a negative net run-rate of -0.667.
Indeed, this game could potentially be Rohit Sharma’s last with MI after spending close to fourteen years with them following Hardik Pandya’s controversial rise as captaincy rumors are spreading around about his future in connection with that franchise in social media platforms. He was however MI third highest run-getter despite enduring a tough campaign in the tournament.
Hardik Pandya found himself being rebuked by fans who regularly booed him and steadfastly stood behind his predecessor Rohit, who had led them for some time.
During Rohit’s stunning innings there was applause from the crowd that quickly turned into hooting when Hardik took over the team highlighting dissatisfaction among fans regarding leadership change.
Earlier in their innings Pooran bailed out stagnant LSG innings. They were struggling at half way stage when they stood at 69 for three but Pooran’s aggressive batting paid dividend as they recovered to set a competitive total and eventually won the match.
