Fresh from his blistering century last week in Chennai, Marcus Stoinis’ foresighted charge in the PowerPlay helped LSG negate a nagging middle-overs spell from Hardik Pandya.

Stoinis maintained a brisk inflow of boundaries early on before his partner KL Rahul made up for an iffy start with three fours and a six in the fifth over.While Hardik kept MI afloat with the wickets of Rahul and Deepak Hooda before the spinners darted in some miserly overs, Stoinis reeled in 62 off 45 deliveries. Having rendered Jasprit Bumrah wicketless and fended off a few probing overs at the death, LSG’s lower-order then took another 27 balls to erase the remaining 30 runs, enforcing a nervy last-over finish of another kind.The death knell may have been sounded on Mumbai’s bid for the playoffs much earlier than the usual norm for the ‘comeback men’. After struggling to achieve parity in their combinations on high-scoring decks in better conditions through the season, the knockout punch was dealt on a sticky Lucknow pitch.

In a game that renewed the bowlers’ spirits and chiselled the manic willow-wielding, Mumbai were subdued within the PowerPlay after Lucknow opted to bowl, and their straightforward plans bore fruit.