IPL 2024: Mumbai Indians end forgetful season in last place after loss to Lucknow Super Giants

The Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians finished their 2024 Indian Premier League campaign in last spot on the points table following an 18-run loss to the Lucknow Super Giants in their final match on Friday.

Having opted to field first in front of their home crowd at the Wankhede Stadium, the Mumbai Indians bowlers were hit all across the park as a stunning onslaught from Nicholas Pooran (75) and an unbeaten 10-ball 22 from Ayush Badoni took Lucknow Super Giants to 214/6 in their 20 overs.

Skipper KL Rahul (55) also chipped in with a half-century for his side in the dead rubber, while Piyush Chawla (3/29) and Nuwan Tushara (3-28) shared all the wickets to fall in the first innings among themselves.

The five-time champions got off to an excellent start in the chase, with an 88-run opening stand between Rohit Sharma (68) and Dewald Brevis (23) but they soon lost their way once Lucknow Super Giants’ impact player Naveen-ul-Haq prized out the latter in the ninth over.

The young Naman Dhir waged a lone battle towards the end with an unbeaten 28-ball 62 as Mumbai Indians were restricted to 196/6 in the second innings.

Turning point of the match

Openers Sharma and Brevis were going well for Mumbai Indians in the chase. The former, in particular, was in fine nick against the Lucknow Super Giants bowlers, finding boundaries at will. But much like the entire season, the Mumbai outfit lost their way within a matter of a few overs.

Naveen-ul-Haq struck to remove Brevis in the ninth over, while Suryakumar Yadav fell for a three-ball duck to Krunal Pandya (1/29) in the very next over.

The pressure mounted on Sharma, who was batting strongly till then, and he fell prey to the leg spin of Ravi Bishnoi in the 11th over. Just like that, the tide turned in favour of the Lucknow Super Giants in a span of minutes.

The phase from the ninth to 12th overs produced just 23 runs for the Mumbai Indians, while they also lost three important wickets. The new batters were left to do with too much and they were always playing catch up since.

The Field's player of the match

In a match that saw an even contest between bat and the ball, Lucknow Super Giants’ Nicholas Pooran is The Field’s player of the match.

The left-handed batter entered the crease with the score reading 69-3 in the tenth over and went on a rampage straight away. Pooran smashed eight sixes and five boundaries in his 29-ball stay as he stitched a 109-run stand with Rahul for the fourth wicket.

Pooran essentially changed the complexion of the match in the first innings when it looked like Mumbai Indians had the upper hand.

‘Did not play good quality cricket’

Hardik Pandya, who returned to lead Mumbai Indians in the season after spending two years with the Gujarat Titans, did not mince his words as he reflected on a forgettable season for his team.

Mumbai Indians accumulated a total of eight points from four wins and ten losses in 14 matches. They are the only team to not touch double digits in the points table in the 2024 Indian Premier League.

“It has been quite difficult. We did not play good quality cricket, which eventually [cost] us the whole season. It’s a professional world. We have to always come out and put our best foot forward. But yes, as a group we could not play quality cricket or smart cricket. It is too early to point out what went wrong. The whole season kind of went wrong. We can pass this match as another one that went wrong.”

— Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya