The 63rd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 turned out to be yet another last-over thriller, with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) emerging victorious by five runs against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium. One of the star performers for LSG in the contest was their fast bowler Mohsin Khan who dedicated his match-winning spell to his ill father.
Asked to bat first, Lucknow got off to a shaky start as Deepak Hooda could only manage to score 5 runs off 7 deliveries, and they lost Prerak Mankad for a duck. However, Krunal Pandya and Marcus Stoinis played crucial innings for their team and powered LSG to a competitive total of 177/3 in their allotted 20 overs. While Krunal scored resilient 49 runs off 42 deliveries, Stoinis stole the show with a blistering knock of 89 runs off just 47 balls.
In reply, MI started strong, with Ishan Kishan leading the charge. Kishan scored an impressive 59 runs off 39 deliveries, including eight fours and one six. Meanwhile, skipper Rohit Sharma also made a valuable contribution of 37 runs off 25 balls. Despite the quickfire knocks from their opening pair and Tim David‘s late fireworks, Mumbai fell short of the target. They finished at 172/5 in their 20 overs, courtesy of a brilliant final over from LSG’s speedster Mohsin.
The left-armer held his nerve in the crunch moment of the game and successfully defended ten runs in the final over. Following LSG’s win at their own den, Mohsin talked about his performance during the post-match presentation and dedicated the sensational spell to his ill father.
“I am playing after one year. I was injured, and it was a tough time. I am happy to bowl, and my father was in the hospital in the ICU. He was discharged yesterday, and I am hoping he is watching. Today I played for my father. He was hospitalised and is out now. Thanks to the team and support staff for having faith in me,” said Mohsin.
Coming back to the match, Stoinis was adjudged ‘Player of the Match’ for his standout performance with the bat.
