IPL 2025: Spotlight on Stars as Hardik's MI Faces Pant's LSG

Lucknow, April 3 (NationPress) The five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) are set to clash with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 during Match 16 on Friday. All eyes are on former MI captain Rohit Sharma and LSG's leader Rishabh Pant, both of whom have struggled to make an impact with their batting so far.

Under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, MI is facing challenges, having secured only one victory in three matches, placing them fifth in the points table. After consecutive defeats, they finally clinched their first win, defeating the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets.

A significant concern for MI is Rohit Sharma's batting form. The opener has had a disappointing start to the tournament, recording low scores of 0, 8, and 13, marking his worst IPL beginning since 2020.

Furthermore, the uncertainty surrounding the availability of premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah adds to MI's woes. Reports indicate that Bumrah, currently rehabilitating at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru due to a lower back injury, is unlikely to return anytime soon.

Nevertheless, Ryan Rickelton emerged as a positive note for MI in their last encounter against KKR, having previously scored 13 and 6 in the first two games. The South African wicketkeeper-batsman impressed by scoring an unbeaten 62 off 41 balls in the victory over KKR.

LSG, on the other hand, is currently sixth in the standings, coming off an eight-wicket defeat to Punjab Kings. Like MI, they too have only one win from three matches.

Captain Rishabh Pant's poor batting performance has put immense pressure on Nicholas Pooran, who leads the run-scorers with 189 runs from three games, starting with an impressive 75 in the opener, followed by 70 and 44.

In terms of bowling, aside from Shardul Thakur's four-wicket haul against Sunrisers Hyderabad, other bowlers have struggled to make an impact.

However, there's encouraging news for the LSG bowling department, as reports suggest that fast bowler Akashdeep, who has yet to make his debut for LSG, may be ready to play against MI on Friday. Akash has been sidelined since December 2024 due to a back injury sustained during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.

Historically, MI and LSG have faced each other six times in the IPL, with LSG holding the advantage with five victories.

When will the MI vs LSG match take place?

The match is scheduled for Friday, starting at 7:30 PM IST, with the toss at 7 PM IST.

Where will the MI vs LSG match take place?

The match will be hosted at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

Where will the live broadcast for the MI vs LSG match be available?

The match can be watched live on the Star Sports network.

Where will live streaming for the MI vs LSG match be available?

The match will be streamed live on the JioHotstar app.

Squads:

Lucknow Super Giants: Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant, David Miller, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Avesh Khan, Abdul Samad, Aryan Juyal, Akash Deep, Himmat Singh, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Singh, Shamar Joseph, Prince Yadav, Yuvraj Chaudhary, RS Hangargekar, Arshin Kulkarni, Matthew Breetzke, Mohsin Khan

Mumbai Indians: Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Bevon Jacobs, Ryan Rickelton, Robin Minz, Krishnan Shrijith, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Raj Bawa, Vignesh Puthur, Will Jacks, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Arjun Tendulkar, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, Lizaad Williams, Karn Sharma, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Satyanarayana Raju, Mujeeb Ur Rahman