West Indies batsman Nicholas Pooran on Friday hit eight sixes in a powerful knock of 75 as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) crushed Mumbai Indians (MI) by 18 runs at the Wankhede Stadium.
LSG skipper KL Rahul also chipped in with a polished though a tad slow 55 as his team reached a commanding score of 214 for the loss of six wickets thanks largely to Pooran’s explosive knock, his third fifty of the tournament.
Last night’s loss sealed a disappointing run of form for new Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya who failed to impress with his leadership.
Only Rohit Sharma (68) and Naman Dhir (62*) looked like chasing down the target score but LSG bowlers Ravi Bishnoi (2-37) and Naveen-ul Haq (2-50) performed well under pressure.
Rohit’s aggressive strokes propelled MI to 53/0 by the end of the powerplay (six overs), with the Indian batting star reaching his fifty in just 28 balls.
T20 batting sensation Suryakumar Yadav went for a duck to Krunal Pandya, the older sibling of Mumbai skipper Hardik.
The day, however, belonged to Pooran. His explosive knock, comprising two consecutive sixes off Arjun Tendulkar, saw him race to his fifty in just 19 balls.
Together with Rahul, Pooran accelerated the innings, adding 29 runs in the next 15 balls.
Pooran, the Player of the Match, said on Friday: “Personally, I just had to do my job which is find a way in the situation and finish. Coming into the season I knew what my game would be. I have been inconsistent as well, I’d be fair to myself, so wanted to get some experience and make it count.”
He added: “I batted from Nos 3 to 7 but if I had to choose, I like the powerplay as well. I can’t be selfish and choose. I can bat at any position and that’s my strength. I’m just happy that I can do that. I’m just blessed, really grateful to have a second chance to play this game. Eight years ago when I had that accident, I thought I want to enjoy every game and every chance I get.”
Hardik, the disappointed Mumbai skipper, said on Friday: “Quite difficult, this season we didn’t play good quality cricket and it cost us the whole season. It’s a professional world, sometimes there’ll be good and sometimes bad days. As a group we didn’t play quality and smart cricket and it showed in the results. Too early to exactly point out what went wrong tonight. We can pass on this game and look forward to the next season.”

BRIEF SCORES
Lucknow Super Giants 214 for 6 (Pooran 75, Rahul 55, Thushara 3-28, Chawla 3-29) beat Mumbai Indians 196 for 6 (Rohit 68, Dhir 62*, Bishnoi 2-37, Naveen 2-50) by 18 runs