IPL-2023 Second Qualifier: Mumbai Indians will lock horns with Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator
In IPL cricket, On 24th May, 2023, Wednesday Mumbai Indians will lock horns with Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator at the same venue Chennai.
The team that loses the first Qualifier gets another chance to qualify for the final, by facing the winners of the Eliminator in the second Qualifier. The winner of this match will face the winner of the first Qualifier in the final on Sunday.
After chasing down another 200-plus total on Sunday (May 21) with relative ease, Mumbai Indians had to anxiously wait for the result of the last league encounter. Royal Challengers Bangalore, who had to win to eliminate MI, were taking on a side that had already confirmed their spot in the first qualifier. So MI had all the reasons to feel concerned. However, by the end of the night, their spot in the playoffs was confirmed.
Skipper Rohit Sharma did mention after the SRH game that they only have themselves to blame in case they fail to go through. He was indeed right. Even though MI won three of their last four games to eventually finish with 16 points, their erratic early form forced them to rely on someone else to seal their qualification. Now that’s behind them and there is no room for such favours at this stage of the competition. A loss on Wednesday will ensure they don’t get a shot at the title for the sixth time.
Lucknow Super Giants were here just 12 months ago in their inaugural season. Last time, it was RCB who eliminated them and they would definitely want to progress further in 2023. The fact that they managed to pull through despite fierce competition from other teams is commendable given they lost their skipper KL Rahul at a crucial stage. While many expected their campaign to fizzle out after that, Krunal Pandya & Co. pulled through. They will fancy their chances once again given the conditions that are expected. LSG’s home record wasn’t great but they are a team that’s used to playing on surfaces that are slow in nature.
MI, on the other hand, have been using their batting might this season to pick up victories. That batting, though, unit did struggle in the contest at Chepauk and they will have to learn and adapt this time around. Marcus Stoinis came up with a stunning effort when these two sides met just a week ago and Nicholas Pooran delivered in their last league game. But LSG need contributions from that top order.
