In the IPL 2023 Eliminator on Wednesday (May 24), the Mumbai Indians (MI) beat the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The five-time winners, who came into the playoffs as the fourth-placed team, easily beat LSG by 81 runs in a defense of 182/8 thanks to the great play of young pacer Akash Madhwal and quick hits from Suryakumar Yadav, Cameron Green, and Nehal Wadhera.
After choosing to bat first, MI’s main batters helped Rohit Sharma and the rest of the team reach a challenging total. Madhwal’s five-for (5 for 5 in 3.3 overs), smart bowling changes, and the fact that LSG gave up under the pressure sent Mumbai to Qualifier 2, where they will play the defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) on Friday, May 26.
Cameron Green, an Australian all-rounder who scored a century in MI’s last league game and is also taking key wickets, said after the game that Rohit had told the team to focus on rising at the right time rather than starting strong and then losing steam.
“You want to be at your best when it counts. All the skills he has gained in India and in the IPL I don’t think MI has ever won its first IPL game. He tried to tell us a few times at first to calm us down. At this time of year (the tournament), you want to be at your best.
“About that has been what he has been talking about.” You don’t want to play well at first and then get slower as the game goes on. You should be at your best now.” Yeah, and we’re going to play a good game tonight,” Cameron Green told the announcers.
Now, MI will use their great form to take on GT and stop them from making it to their second straight IPL final. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have already made it to the final match, which will take place in Ahmedabad on May 28.
