The esteemed former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) player, who retired from IPL cricket after the 2022 season, might step into the shoes of his ex-India teammate Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir recently departed from the Lucknow franchise after serving as a significant mentor for two years, opting to join Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in a similar capacity.

Given Raina’s immense popularity as a native of Uttar Pradesh, speculation has been rampant that he could emerge as the fresh face for the Lucknow franchise in a mentorship role.

Raina added fuel to the speculation this weekend during an intriguing exchange with a well-known journalist on Twitter. The journalist dismissed a fan’s assertion about Raina joining the LSG setup, branding it as unfounded. However, just as fans were beginning to accept the journalist’s viewpoint, Raina intervened, suggesting that the journalist might not always be correct.

This subtle hint implied Raina’s potential association with the Lucknow franchise as a team mentor for IPL 2024, possibly filling the void left by Gambhir in the support staff. The team is currently undergoing a coaching transition under the guidance of new head coach Justin Langer.

In a remarkable display of skill, the Mumbai Indians emerged victorious against the Lucknow Super Giants, defeating them by a staggering 81 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) clash held on Wednesday. This triumph not only eliminated Lucknow from the tournament but also kept Mumbai’s own hopes of reaching the final alive.
Seamer Akash Madhwal showcased an exceptional performance, claiming an impressive five wickets while conceding only five runs in his 3.3 overs. His bowling prowess dismantled the Lucknow batting lineup, restricting them to a mere 101 runs in 16.3 overs. Mumbai had earlier set a target of 182-8.

Looking ahead, Mumbai Indians are set to face the reigning champions, Gujarat Titans, in a crucial match on Friday. The winner of this clash will secure a spot in Sunday’s final, where they will take on the formidable Chennai Super Kings.

Opting to bat first, Mumbai got off to a lively start but suffered an early setback with the loss of both their openers, skipper Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, within the powerplay overs. However, Cameron Green (41) and Suryakumar Yadav (33) resurrected Mumbai’s innings. Unfortunately, Naveen-ul-Haq (4-38) dismissed both batsmen in the same over, causing a setback for Mumbai.

Despite accumulating 51 runs in the last five overs, Mumbai fell short of the coveted 200-run mark, which had seemed within reach earlier in the innings.

Madhwal’s exceptional performance put Lucknow on the defensive from the start, and three crucial run-outs further hampered their chase, allowing Mumbai to take control of the game. Although Marcus Stoinis managed to smash a quickfire 40 off 27 balls, a collision with his batting partner, Deepak Hooda, during a run between wickets resulted in Stoinis’ run-out. This triggered a collapse from which Lucknow could not recover.

Reflecting on Madhwal’s outstanding performance, Mumbai teammate Cameron Green praised him, stating, “Madhwal has been phenomenal. From the moment he stepped on the field, we realized he possesses something special.”

England’s pace bowler, Mark Wood, is unlikely to rejoin the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) squad for the knockout stages of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Reports suggest that despite LSG’s qualification for the playoffs, Wood is not expected to make a return.

During the season, Mark Wood had taken a break from the franchise to be present for the birth of his second child. He flew back home in late April to support his wife during the arrival of their daughter. However, prior to his departure, Wood had expressed his desire to represent the Lucknow team once again in the playoffs.

The 33-year-old cricketer had an impressive stint with the Lucknow-based franchise in the ongoing IPL, participating in four matches. Mark Wood showcased his skills by taking 11 wickets at a remarkable average of 11.82 and an economy rate of 8.73. Notably, he made a sensational debut for the Lucknow team against the Delhi Capitals, claiming five wickets for just 14 runs.

As per a report from Cricbuzz, an official from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that Mark Wood will be part of the plans for red-ball cricket during the upcoming summer. He has been included in the squad for the one-off Test against Ireland, scheduled to commence on June 1 at Lord’s.

Given the current injury concerns within the England team, Mark Wood’s presence will be crucial. James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, and Olly Stone are dealing with minor injuries, while Jofra Archer has been ruled out for the entire summer due to a stress fracture in his elbow.

On Tuesday, Lucknow Super Giants kept their playoff hopes alive with a five-run victory over Mumbai Indians in the IPL, thanks to Marcus Stoinis’ unbeaten 89 and Mohsin Khan’s last-over heroics. Despite Tim David’s unbeaten 32 off 19 balls, Mumbai could not achieve their target of 178 runs as Mohsin Khan defended 11 runs in the final over, displaying his left-arm quick skills with figures of 1-26. Yash Thakur and Ravi Bishnoi also contributed to Lucknow’s victory by taking two wickets each to strengthen their bowling attack. Lucknow, who currently stands in third place, moved ahead of five-time winners Mumbai in their quest for a top-four finish and a playoff spot in the group stage.

Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma acknowledged that his team did not perform well enough to win, stating “We just lost the game. We didn’t play well enough to win…Unfortunate but we need to keep our heads high.” Gujarat Titans have already secured their place and a top-two finish in the playoffs, while seven out of the 10 teams are vying for the remaining three spots.

Marcus Stoinis played a key role in Lucknow’s victory by forming crucial partnerships, including an 89-run stand with captain Krunal Pandya who retired hurt on 49, as they finished at 177-3. Stoinis, who came in at 35-3, rebuilt the innings with Pandya on a challenging pitch. Despite Pandya retiring due to cramps, Stoinis accelerated his innings and hit a six to complete his fifty, followed by a 24-run over against Chris Jordan.

Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis put together an unbeaten 60-run partnership off just 24 balls, with Stoinis hitting a six to finish the innings. Stoinis, who was named the man of the match, remarked that their team doesn’t rely on any one superstar, but rather has different players who perform well when it counts.
Mumbai started strong in their chase, with Ishan Kishan scoring 59 and Rohit Sharma contributing 37 in a 90-run opening stand. However, Yash Thakur dismissed Suryakumar Yadav for seven and Ravi Bishnoi sent both Kishan and Rohit back to the pavilion, causing Mumbai to slip to 145-5 in 17.4 overs. Despite Tim David’s attempt to lead the chase with Cameron Green, Mohsin Khan, and Lucknow were able to keep their cool and seal the victory.

Lucknow started well at home. Kyle Meyers and skipper KL Rahul got off to a great start. But suddenly the team that is in second place in the points list collapses. In the end, even though they could not make a challenging score, the power of the bowlers was quite good in the match. In the end, Lucknow lost in the last over. Punjab Kings secured a last-over victory against hosts Lucknow Super Giants at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday (April 15). Punjab passed the target of 160 runs given by Lucknow with 2 wickets and 3 balls in hand. Losing the toss and batting first, Lucknow scored 53 runs in the partnership of captain Lokesh Rahul and Kyle Meyers. Even if they got runs, they still couldn’t open their hands to play. Deepak Hooda also failed with the bat when Meyers departed after scoring 29 runs off 23 balls. Krunal Pandya scored 18 runs off 17 balls. After that, Lucknow’s innings collapsed. Niklas Puran also departed after Krunaler in the same over of Rabada. Marcus Stoinis was the victim of Sam Curran’s 15 off 11 balls. It is Rahul, the captain who survives as Sabedhan Neelmani, who tries a little. But Lucknow’s innings did not go far when Rahul got out after scoring 74 runs off 56 balls with 8 fours and 1 six. In the end, Lucknow scored 159 runs after losing 8 wickets in the scheduled 20 overs. Sam Curran took 3 wickets for 31 runs in 4 overs for Punjab. Rabada also took 2 wickets for 34 runs. Arshdeep Singh, Sikandar Raja, and Harpreet Brar took 1 wicket each. Chasing a target of 160 runs, Punjab lost the wicket of Atharva Tair early on. Another opener Pravsimran Singh could not score more than 4 runs. Losing 2 wickets for 17 runs, Punjab also lost the wicket of the in-form Matthew Short before settling down. Short scored 34 runs off 5 fours and 1 six off 22 balls. Harpreet Singh, who scored 22 runs off 22 balls, also departed as the fourth wicket after 75 runs. Sam Curran and Jitesh Sharma failed but Sikandar Raja took the reins of Punjab. When Raja got out after scoring 57 off 41 balls and 4 fours and 3 sixes, Punjab still needed 20 runs off 13 balls.

After that, Harpreet Brar returned with 6 runs, but Shahrukh Khan left the field after confirming the team’s victory. He scored 23 runs off 10 balls with 1 four and 2 sixes. Harpreet Singh, who scored 22 runs off 22 balls, also departed as the fourth wicket after 75 runs. Sam Curran and Jitesh Sharma failed but Sikandar Raja took the reins of Punjab. When Raja got out after scoring 57 off 41 balls and 4 fours and 3 sixes, Punjab still needed 20 runs off 13 balls. After that, Harpreet Brar returned with 6 runs, but Shahrukh Khan left the field after confirming the team’s victory. He scored 23 runs off 10 balls with 1 four and 2 sixes.

Virat Kohli Vs Gautam Gambhir. Once upon a time in the IPL, the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore meant a fight between these two. Sometimes Virat gets angry with his bat, and sometimes Gambhir says something that angers Virat. That fight ended after Gambhir retired. But there was a glimpse of that fight again on Monday. Gambhir forgot that he was Lucknow’s mentor. He looked like the old captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders. Monday’s match was in Bangalore. Batting first in that match, Virat’s RCB scored 212 runs. Virat himself played an inning of 61 runs. Virat made a partnership of 96 runs with Faf du Plessis. After the first innings, many thought that RCB would have an easy win. But the match builds up to the last ball. Drama after drama in the last over. Lucknow won the match.

Lucknow Super Giants were all excited to win such a dramatic match. In between, Gambhir is seen putting his finger on his lips to tell the fans to shut up.Lucknow team mentor Gambhir. He sat next to the team analyst in the dugout. Gambhir started pushing the table when Lucknow won the match. Screamed with joy. Aggressively punched the air. Gambhir hugged the cricketers of the team. His aggressive behavior went viral on social media. However, the video was later deleted from various places. There is still a video left. It is seen that Gambhir is pointing his finger at the audience and telling them to shut up. There was no smile on Gambhir’s face as he shook hands with Virat. On the other hand, Gambhir saw Virat with very hard eyes. As the game was played in Bengaluru, Virat’s support was naturally high. Chants of ‘Virat, Virat’ could be heard throughout the Chinnasamy Stadium. Gambhir won the match and asked those fans to shut up. Lucknow needed one run to win off the last ball. Had a wicket in hand. A runout would have drawn the match. But RCB wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik did not forget that. Lucknow won the match.

IPL lovers witnessed devastating innings on Monday (April 10). And that destructive inning was played by Caribbean batsman Nicholas Pooran of Lakhnore. Puran’s innings of 62 runs off just 19 balls have set many records. Chennai Super Kings batsman Ajinkya Rahane had the fastest half-century before Pooran in the current IPL. He scored a 19-ball fifty against Mumbai. Puran topped the list topping him. He scored a 15-ball fifty against RCB.

Meanwhile, Puran’s 15-ball fifty is the joint-second fastest in IPL history. Before Pooran, Yusuf Pathan and Sunil Narine scored 15-ball half-centuries in IPL. Yusuf achieved this feat in 2014 and Narine in 2017. Against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Pooran scored 56 of his 62 runs with boundaries, which is 93.54 percent of Puran’s runs. Suresh Raina tops this list. He scored 87 runs for Chennai against Punjab in 2014, including 84 as a boundary. This Caribbean batsman has also made it to the list of players who scored more than fifty runs at the highest strike rate in IPL. Puran is fourth behind Pat Cummins, Suresh Raina, and Yusuf Pathan. Australian captain Pat Cummins topped the list with his 15-ball unbeaten 56 against Mumbai in 2022 for KKR at a strike rate of 373.33.