Mumbai Indians (MI) are set to take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Wankhede Stadium in match No. 45 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Sunday, April 27. An upbeat and confident MI will look to continue their winning run in IPL 2025 as LSG comes to town for a clash at the Wankhede stadium. All eyes will be on Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant, who are at the opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to form.
The IPL, they say, is largely about the second half – right or wrong, many teams believe so. There are countless examples of the sides starting with a whimper and finishing on a high – RCB, for instance, in the last season, when they won the last six games in a row to make the playoffs. KKR in 2014 (title) and 2021 (finalists) and CSK in 2010 (champions) are a few other examples. Mumbai Indians(MI), anyway, have a reputation for slow starts, season after season, yet they’ve gone on to lift the title five times.
Four wins in the last five after only one in the first four, Mumbai Indians(MI) are living up to their reputation. But the momentum seems to have, well and truly, returned to their campaign. There may also be a case that the turnaround, started with three game-changing back-to-back run-outs in Delhi, may have coincided with Rohit Sharma’s return to form.
MI vs LSG : Previous Performances
Hardik Pandya-led MI are a rejuvenated unit after coming back strongly from an abysmal start to the season. In their first five matches, MI managed only one win. However, they have turned things around commendably and are currently on a four-match winning streak. They defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in their most recent fixture by seven wickets in an away fixture.
Suryakumar Yadav too is growing in strengths and MI batting looks as strong as it is known to be. The wheels are also turning ominously on the bowling front too, with Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar and Jasprit Bumrah looking in rhythm. Normal services seem to have returned for MI ahead of their home face-off against Lucknow SuperGiants.
LSG, level on points with MI, have struggled to build any serious momentum. It’s been a stop-start season, further complicated by the poor form of skipper Rishabh Pant. With just 106 runs in nine games, the league’s costliest player has looked completely out of sorts – the most telling sight witnessed in the last match when he batted at No. 7. Pant’s form is a problem for the Supergiants.
Bowling, though, has been LSG’s calling card of the season. Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Prince Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, and above all, Digvesh Rathi – have all delivered in some way or the other. More so the spinners who are the second most successful group in the IPL after CSK.
Meanwhile, Lucknow have also registered five wins and four defeats from nine games so far. However, their net run rate is -0.054 compared to Mumbai’s 0.673. LSG have blown hot and cold in the tournament. They are coming into this clash on the back of a one-sided eight-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals at home. These two sides met each other in Lucknow earlier in the season. Rishabh Pant and Co. won the high-scoring encounter by 12 runs with notable performances from Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, and Digvesh Singh Rathi.
MI vs LSG : Head to Head
MI 1 – 6 LSG. MI have also lost both their games against LSG at Wankhede
| Matches Played | 07 |
| Won by Mumbai Indians | 01 |
| Won by Lucknow Super Giants | 06 |
| Tied | 00 |
| No Result | 00 |
| First-ever Fixture | April 16, 2022 |
| Most-recent Fixture | April 04, 2025 |
MI vs LSG : Pitch and Weather Report
The pitch at Wankhede Stadium has been batting-friendly in IPL 2025. The average first innings score has been 169, with the second innings average nearly identical at 168. The surface offers good bounce and carry, allowing batsmen to play their shots freely. First innings scores have typically been around 165-180.
Batting has been easier in the second innings at the Wankhede Stadium, with dew playing its part. Three out of the four games played at the iconic venue this season were won by teams batting second. The new-ball bowlers can get some swing in the first couple of overs, and the opening batters will have to be wary. Spinners have also had some assistance from the surfaces, but the dew factor hasn’t helped their cause.
With it being an afternoon game, dew will not be a factor, taking the toss out of the equation. It will largely come down to a battle between MI’s batters and LSG’s bowlers and chances are that it will be a high-scoring game. The Wankhede Stadium has hosted four games so far this season, all night games. MI won the toss every time and opted to field. They won three of them, when they restricted the opposition to a below-par total. Sunday’s match, though, will be played in the hot and humid afternoon and could force a change in strategy.
The weather in Mumbai is expected to be clear and warm. The temperature during the match will be around 31°C and according to AccuWeather, there is a 0% chance of rain.
MI vs LSG : Big Picture : At halfway mark both MI and LSG are in the same boat in different directions
It’s not important where you are right now; what matters is the direction you are headed in. This aphorism applies to all walks of life, including IPL 2025. Just past the halfway stage, Mumbai Indians (MI) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) find themselves at the same junction but heading in opposite directions.
Both teams are in the middle of the points table with five wins each from nine games. In those five wins, five different players from each team have won the Player-of-the-Match award. For MI, it has been Ashwani Kumar, Karn Sharma, Will Jacks, Rohit Sharma and Trent Boult. For LSG, Shardul Thakur, Digvesh Rathi, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram and Avesh Khan.
Let’s talk about the differences now. MI had a typical slow start to their campaign, losing four of their first five games. But with four successive wins since then, things are looking up for them. Rohit has returned to form with two successive 70s, Boult is living up to the expectations at the death, and Jasprit Bumrah, after missing the first four games, is back to his usual business.
“I’ve always felt that once everyone starts clicking in this team, it is going to be complete domination,” their captain Hardik Pandya said after the win against Sunrisers Hyderabad. With that confidence, and momentum, they enter Sunday afternoon’s game.
LSG, on the other hand, have faced two defeats in their last three games. They did win three in a row after a shaky start but things are not looking good for them at the moment. Rishabh Pant and David Miller are yet to fire, making their middle order one of the weakest in the league. After a blistering start to the season, Pooran has had scores of 8, 11 and 9 in his last three innings, which has exposed their middle order further.
What’s in LSG’s favour is their 6-1 head-to-head record against MI. It includes their win from earlier this season, when MI retired out Tilak Varma in their unsuccessful chase of 204. But this time MI will be playing at home, where they have three wins in four outings so far.
MI vs LSG : In the spotlight : Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant
Before this IPL started, there were whispers about Suryakumar Yadav‘s form. In February, against England, he had managed only 28 runs in five T20Is at a strike rate of 116.66. Since then, he has played nine innings in the IPL and has scored at least 25 in each of them. Overall, he is the leading run-getter for MI with 373 at a strike rate of 166.51. The only thing missing is his trademark, jaw-dropping knock.
This being the last IPL before the 2026 T20 World Cup makes it an audition for the global tournament, and Rishabh Pant seems to have flunked it. He has just 106 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 96.36. Five times he has been dismissed in singles-figures. His coming in at No. 7 against Delhi Capitals after an animated chat with team mentor Zaheer Khan did not paint a good picture either.
MI vs LSG : Vital Stats that matters
- Bumrah has a favourable match-up against Pant in the IPL: 46 balls, 55 runs , seven dismissals. He has also dismissed Pooran twice in 18 balls while conceding only 13 runs.
- Mitchell Santner is one of the rare left-arm spinners to have some success against Pooran in T20 cricket. He has dismissed him twice in 20 balls while giving away just 25 runs.
- Hardik has fallen to Avesh three times in 37 balls while scoring only 32 runs in this tournament.
- Rohit scored 76 not out and 70 in his last two innings. This is the first time since 2016 that he has scored back-to-back fifties in the IPL.
- Among those who have bowled at least five overs in the death, Rathi (7.66) has the best economy, followed by Bumrah (7.75). Hardik is at the bottom of the list with 16.20.
- LSG have had four wicketless batting Powerplays in IPL 2025 – joint-most with RR
- LSG have hit the most sixes in the season – 86. MI have the third-best tally in the PowerPlay with 26, behind RR (37) and KKR (29).
MI vs LSG : Team News for MI and LSG
Mumbai Indians
Injury/Availability concerns: No clarity on Karn Sharma yet although he was seen bowling in the nets over the last two days. All others are available. It’s unlikely that MI will tinker with their winning combination.
Tactics & matchups: Rohit will face his friend and Mumbai teammate Shardul Thakur upfront, but the bigger challenge will be how the MI batters, including Suryakumar, cope with Bishnoi and Rathi, who seem to have specific plans in place for the MI batters. One of Deepak Chahar or Trent Boult will be tasked with containing Nicholas Pooran, LSG’s batting mainstay. And if that doesn’t work, there’s always Jasprit Bumrah to fall back upon.
Mumbai Indians Probable Playing XII : Ryan Rickelton (WK), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (C), Naman Dhir, Will Jacks, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Vignesh Puthur.
Lucknow SuperGiants
Injury/Availability: Mayank Yadav continues to be on the sidelines. Rest of the squad seems fine.
Tactics & matchups: LSG batting largely revolves around their three overseas batters – Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran; it will be up to them to manage the MI pacers who are in fine form.
Lucknow Super Giants Probable XII: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c & wk.), Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Shardul Thakur, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Prince Yadav
MI vs LSG Fantasy Playing XI : Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Abdul Samad, Tilak Varma, Aiden Markram, Hardik Pandya, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan, Shardul Thakur
MI vs LSG : Probable Best Performers
Probable Best Bowler of the Match: Hardik Pandya
The MI captain is having a fantastic season with the ball. He has bagged 12 wickets from eight games at an average of 18.92 and a strike rate of 12.50. His changes of pace and variations in length have been clinical. Hardik Pandya could hold the key with the ball for MI.
MI vs LSG : Match Prediction
MI are on a hot streak at the moment and it seems like LSG will find it tough to stop them. Also, it will be ESA day on Sunday, which will give MI some extra motivation to win the game for the young fans in attendance.
Scenario 1
- Mumbai Indians win the toss and bowl
- PP Score – 55-65
- LSG – 175-195
- Mumbai Indians win the match
Scenario 2
- Lucknow Super Giants win the toss and bowl
- PP score – 50-60
- MI- 175-195
- Lucknow Super Giants win the match