As it happened: Mumbai Indians vs Lucknow Super Giants, Brabourne Stadium

Gaurav Sundararaman sums it up: MI are virtually out of the IPL. They need a lot of luck going their way if they have to make it to the playoffs. They have lost six out of six now. The maximum they can reach is 16 points. In a ten team IPL that could be what the fourth placed team may finish on. With six losses, MI's NRR also is the lowest. Unless we see a lot of lower ranked teams beat the higher ranked teams and a major crowd at 14 or 16 points, MI do not have a chance. For starters they need to win one game to get off the mark.

Pollard took it down to the very last over but Mumbai eventually ran out of steam. Unadkat gave up his wicket on the first ball while attempting a second to give the strike back to Pollard, Ashwin struck a six on the second ball and holed out on the third. Mumbai needed 20 off three and Pollard eventually fell as well, trying to clear the midwicket boundary. This loss, in many ways, sums up Mumbai's season so far. Their campaign is almost over.

Mumbai needed 73 off 27 balls when Pollard walked out but two sixes, a four and some help from Unadkat (14 off 6) at the other end has brought the equation down to one that Pollard is capable of achieving. Can he do it and bring Mumbai's season alive? Chameers is bowling the last over, Pollard on strike.

The asking rate was rising, Mumbai needed boundaries and SKY gets a short ball but he pulls it to deep midwicket off a top edge to fall for a promising 37 off 27. It's not the first time he fell to Bishnoi: 17 balls, just 18 runs three wickets is their head to head.

Tilak Varma might have been told to play second fiddle in this partnership but his knock was scratchy as well. He was barely connecting well against Avesh in the 14th over, which went for just four runs, and the asking rate was now over 13 an over with Tilak going nearly run a ball. Holder then delivered a yorker in the next over although that has brought Pollard to join SKY in the middle. They need 75 off 30. Avesh, Holder and Bishnoi have one left each.

Nagraj Gollapudi was watching closely when Dewald Brevis was batting:

Brevis, Brevis. Clap clap. Brevis. Brevis. Clap. Clap. Brabourne chanted in unison and rhythmically as the 18-year-old South African suddenly changed the tempo of the match in a matter of minutes after replacing his captain Rohit Sharma who walked with his head down after another failure.

The fear of no expectations is the reward a young player like Brevis gets as he can go out there and unleash himself without a second thought. Brevis has been given that license by Mumbai’s team management and that was evident on the very first ball he faced. Avesh pitched short of length on the off stump and might have expected a respected nod from Brevis, instead the Mumbai batter punched a cover drive for four, surprising both the bowler and the fans.

Things started to move at a rapid pace thereon as Brevis was uncompromising. Chameera’s length delivery was lofted over long-on. Next delivery was banged hard into the pitch and the ball came at a reduced pace, but Brevis moved into position swiftly in his trigger movement to punch a sweetly timed back-foot drive for four through covers.

He would used his bottom-handed grip to powerfully flick Avesh through the empty midwicket region and then bring one of the best shots of the match: a beastly straight drive that would nearly take the umpire’s head but thankfully zip to bang the boundary boards. Brevis was not going to stop. We wouldn’t know Brevis’ heartbeat, but the crowds’ was now surging as the blazing sun had now softened and a soft breeze from the adjacent Arabian Sea wafted around the ground.

Avesh, too, was aware of Brevis’ intentions. He ran in with a plan even as Brevis stepped back to go inside-out over cover. Avesh smartly cut the pace and bowled on the stumps. The ferociousness seen in his other strokes was drastically cut down as Brevis handed a simple catch. Avesh screamed in delight. Brevis jumped back to turn and make his way back to the dressing room.

13 balls. 31 runs . 17 minutes. 6 fours and 1 six. Mumbai have found a new player for keeps.

With the partnership new, SKY and Tilak were taking it easy to set the base for a solid platform and now they're starting to hit out. For 20 balls bowled by Stoinis, Krunal and Bishnoi, the two batters played along the ground and were happy with ones and twos. In the 12th over, with the asking rate touching 12, they hit two fours in three balls off Krunal and two more in the next over off Bishnoi to make it 116 for 3. They now need 84 off 42, exactly two runs a ball. The boundaries at short, Pollard is yet to come. Will they do it?

Mumbai also lost Kishan just three balls after Brevis fell, when Kishan chopped on against Stoinis, and Mumbai were 57 for in the seventh over. But since then, Tilak Varma and Suryakumar have stitched a steady stand of 29 runs at 7.90 an over. The two batters are largely playing along the ground without much risks, but we have witnessed a whippy helicopter shot from SKY that he used to collect a boundary. They now need a tall 114 off 60 balls, with Pollard and Allen to come.

Dewald Brevis, known as "Baby AB" briefly gave Mumbai hope and the cracking powerplay they needed. He started his innings with a punchy cover drive for four when Avesh pitched it up, edged Ravi Bishnoi for another four next over, and smoked Chameera for a six over long-on with a bat as straight as an arrow before collecting two more boundaries with his use of hard hands. He's swinging them really hard. Avesh changed ends and he too was slapped for back-to-back fours before Brevis middled - of all things - a full-toss straight to cover, and Avesh gave him a send-off. 31 off 13, 57 after the powerplay, and an in-form Suryakumar comes out at No. 4

If you thought Rahul's record against Mumbai Indians was impressive, have a look at Avesh Khan's before this match: economy rate of just 5, and five wickets in just six overs. With his zippy length balls and extra bounce, he has now got his sixth: Rohit Sharma is caught behind for 6 in the third over.

Rohit has faced Dushmantha Chameera only in T20Is, and here's the record: 30 balls, 32 runs, and six dismissals! Chameera is now starting the second over after Jason Holder bowled the first. Can Rohit turn his form around against this fast bowler?

KL Rahul is keeping not just Mumbai Indians but our stats guys also busy. He's struck a sublime century, off 56 balls, and with as much as 88% control. Now for the numbers from Gaurav Sundararaman: it's his second century vs MI, his current average against MI is the second best for any player against a particular team (best is also Rahul's 83.50 vs RCB), it's the second century this IPL and both have come against Mumbai Indians, and it's also the first time two players have scored centuries against them in a season. Phew, and Mumbai have not even played half their matches this IPL yet.

LSG have safely seen off Bumrah, who bowled his last as the 18th over, with just ones and twos. Rahul played it so safe that he nudged a full toss also gently down to long-on for a single. Why? Because not one other Mumbai bowler has bowled well today, and with 12 balls to go and the score 173, Rahul and Deepak Hooda will now go after the rest to put on 200-plus.

Mumbai have been so bad today, Shiva Jayaraman has dug this out: KL Rahul was on a sedate 9 from the 12 balls before Mills came along to bowl the fourth over. The first ball from Mills was full and wide which Rahul took toll off, hitting a four through the covers. Now, you don’t gain much by compensating for that length by bowling short at Rahul. The Mumbai captain might be compulsive puller of the short ball, but his Lucknow counterpart is one of the safest batters against the short ball. According to data by ESPNcricinfo, since IPL 2019, Rahul has scored 163 runs off 58 short balls (numbers correct until the 16th over) bowled at him by pacers and hasn’t been dismissed even once. No batter has scored more runs than him off short balls. Mills made the mistake of bowling short (and wayward) at Rahul later in that over, which perhaps gave impetus to Rahul’s innings. Rahul has hit one six and two fours off the four short balls bowled by Mills at him. As a result, in this innings Rahul has made 24 off just eight balls from Mills. In comparison, against Jasprit Bumrah, who is yet to bowl really short at him, he has made eight off 11 balls.

Nagraj Gollapudi is at Brabourne today and he's had his eyes on the 16 overs so far, hopefully with sunglasses in the relentless heat.

"Mumbai’s agonising 2022 season continues. Six bowlers in the powerplay. Several misfields. Rohit holding his head and going down on his knees more than once, disgruntled and disgusted with his fielders and bowlers. The Mumbai heat uncompromising. If you are a Mumbai fan and bought a ticket for this match, you might want to ask yourself: why I am self flogging on a Saturday afternoon?

"Bizarrely though, in reality, the Mumbai fans have been anything but mournful. Instead, they have been amazingly energetic, egging their team and players, motivating them with a cohesive wave of support for every small effort, for every good ball. And like good cricket fans they have also acknowledged the opposition – especially when Rahul has effortlessly dispatched the ball to and over the boundary. Mumbai stand on the precipice of not making the playoffs. Nonetheless, the Mumbai fans have come out in big numbers, showing solidarity in supporting their team which is enduring their worst season."

A cut for four, a pull over midwicket for six, and a lovely pick-up shot over fine leg for six. Rahul is adding to Mumbai's sweat here.

Dewald Brevis did well in the middle of the 12th over to keep the ball just inside the boundary on leg side after deep backward square leg nearly let one through for four. But three balls later, Brevis tumbled at his own position in the deep to leak four and Bumrah let out a scream because he had conceded just four off the first five balls. We're not done yet...with just 12 from two overs, Rahul and Pandey hammer Tymal Mills for 18 runs with four fours, including a fumble at third man on the first ball. Ashwin would have thought he's given MI some respite by dismissing Pandey for 38 off 29, but LSG have sent Stoinis at No. 4. And guess what, he smacks a six over long-on first ball! LSG are 132 for 4 with 36 balls to go.

Mumbai have removed their old friend de Kock but there's no stopping Rahul for now, and it's not just because of his form. Ashwin sent down a full-toss to him in his third over which Rahul swatted over midwicket for six, and that was just after there was a misfield in the deep on the last ball of the previous over which went for four. LSG are 94 for 1 after 10, looking set for 200 or so.

de Kock is middling those sweeps and swipes, he hit four fours in the first three overs, and Rahul is pouncing on the short and wide balls which has forced Rohit to make one bowling change after another. All six overs of the powerplay have been bowled by different bowlers and LSG are 57 for 1 as Allen traps de Kock lbw after he misses a reverse-sweep, on the very next ball after a six. The tricky tactic for Rohit was he couldn't have given Bumrah a second over in the powerplay because he will bowl one in the middle and two in the death.

Is he reacting to my Rahul stat vs Mumbai Indians? (insert thinking emoji)

And it's a decent first over from around the wicket with a boundary and three singles. That boundary was also near stopped by Fabian Allen with a slide at deep midwicket where he got his hands to the ball but couldn't keep it in. There's not much turn yet, but the pitch is expected to be slow under the scorching sun, which is why Rohit said at the toss they have brought in Allen for Thampi. No swing expected so Unadkat opens from the other end without any slips.

Quinton de Kock is in fine form and KL Rahul has had some good scores in between his two ducks. And now we have them against Mumbai. What's special there? de Kock will bat against his old franchise, for whom he scored so many and quick runs at the top but he doesn't have a great record against them. Rahul has some good numbers against MI: an average of 66 (his second-best against an IPL team), strike rate of 128 (oh, second-lowest against an IPL team), including a hundred and five fifties.

Also on the menu: Who will be LSG's No. 3 today after batting Gowtham there earlier? Will they send Holder at No. 4 again? Will Stoinis be unleashed at No. 3 or lower down? Where will they bat Pandey? Will Bumrah open the bowling? Who will win today, vada pav or kebabs (sorry, I'll leave now)?

...of the 2022 IPL as Mumbai opt to bowl (duh!). He gets his cap from Pollard and comes in place of Thampi to strengthen MI's batting order; remember they had Unadkat at No. 7 in their last game. It gives them a bowling option too, apart from Bumrah, Mills, Unadkat, Ashwin, and Pollard, who has bowled in just two games so far. Anyone interested in LSG's bowling and batting options? They have...let me count...FOUR allrounders: Holder, Hooda, Krunal and Stoinis. It could have been five but they've left out K Gowtham for Manish Pandey. Interesting because they've been using Gowtham early against left-hand batters and MI have Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma in the top four-five.

First game for Mumbai Indians back in their home city since the opening game. They drove from Brabourne to Navi Mumbai and then to Pune, and now they return to Marine Drive, where we also have Nagraj Gollapudi who must have soaked in some sun, maybe a pizza (and a beverage) at Pizza By the Bay, and then strolled across to CCI with the sea breeze running through his hair.