Continuing a raid of 183, Lucknow committed harakiri, losing their last 8 wickets for just 32 runs as for the second time in a row they pulled out of the competition with a loss in the Eliminator.
Madhwal, 29, was at his best, claiming sensational 5-for-5 numbers in a dream spell as he also recorded the best bowling numbers for an uncapped player in tournament history.
Mumbai Indians scored 182 for 8 from 20 overs and it looked like 15 short considering Lucknow’s explosive batting firepower but Madhwal’s incredible numbers of 3.3-0-5-5 and formidable pitch ground run by skipper Rohit Sharma saw side-framed Gautam Gambhir crumble for a paltry 101 in 16.3 overs.
There were three run-outs in what turned out to be a night to remember for the Sanjiv Goenka-owned franchise.
MI will now face Titans in the second qualifier to decide Chennai Super Kings opposition for Sunday’s grand final.
If the first part of the evening was that of a fiery Naveen ul Haq, whose 4 in 37 made everyone suspicious of MI’s final score, Madhwal reassured the confidence shown in him by his skipper.
As it happened
The delivery that won the final was played by the dangerous Nicholas Pooran (0) from the round of the wicket. He delivered it from a little further from the crease and it formed inside before moving away with a touch of extra rebound forcing the southpaw to tuck him in towards Ishan Kishan behind the stumps.
It literally broke LSG’s back and either side of that wicket Madhawal took four more to improve his reputation after being a tennis ball cricketer until he was 23 years old.
Skipper Rohit, who has been pilloried for his fitness, threw himself in and the stint to chase Krishnappa Gowtham was a fabulous effort.
Earlier, flamboyant Afghan dressmaker Naveen ul Haq netted four wickets as Lucknow Super Giants managed to keep Mumbai Indians in check at 182 for 8 from 20 overs.
Naveen, who has been in the spotlight since his anger exchange with Virat Kohli in a league game against RCB, was constantly booed by the Chepauk crowd but did well enough to fire the MI skipper Rohit (11 from 10 balls), batting stalwart Suryakumar Yadav (33 from 20 balls), last game hero Cameron Green (41 from 23 balls) and the always dangerous Tilak Verma (26 from 22 balls).
Naveen getting Surya and Green in an over could well prove decisive as MI were at least 15 off the par-score. MI also had to replace Surya with Impact player Nehal Wadhera, whose 23 out of 12 balls allowed him to exceed the 180-point mark.
Wadhera hit a six and hit two fours in the final against Yash Thakur (3 for 34) to boost MI’s score.
The impressive Moshin Khan (1-24) conceded just 6 runs in the penultimate before Wadhera picked up the pace in Thakur’s next, the final round of the innings.
Skipper Rohit (11, 10 balls, 1×4, 1×6), who started slow, fell trying to pick up the pace, jumping to hit Naveen to find Ayush Badoni on the way to fourth.
Yash Thakur struck in the next game, forcing Ishan Kishan (15, 12 balls, 3×4) to give the keeper one.
Suryakumar and Green provided some momentum in the innings with a 66-run third wicket partnership in just over six overs.
Green, who hammered a ton in the last league game against SRH, slammed six limits and 1 six while Yadav hit two highs and an equal number of fours in his 20-ball shot.
(With PTI entries)
Show IPL: Mumbai defeats Lucknow in Eliminator, to face Gujarat in Qualifier 2
