IPL: Rana, Pollard power MI to victory over GL
Nitish Rana scored his third half-century of the 2017 Indian Premier League as Mumbai Indians defeated Gujarat Lions by six wickets. Chasing 177 runs, Rana put on a partnership of 85-runs with Jos Buttler. Rana scored 53. Kieron Pollard and skipper Rohit Sharma put on a 68-run partnership to take MI beyond the winning line. Sharma remained unbeaten on 40, while Pollard scored 39.
In-form Mumbai host Gujarat at Wankhede
After a seven-wicket win over the Rising Pune Supergiant, Gujarat Lions will travel to Wankhede Stadium to face in-form Mumbai Indians. MI will look to make it four wins in a row, while GL will be upbeat after their recent win and a good form from their bowlers and batsmen. Pandya brothers and Kieron Pollard will be a big hurdle for GL's win.
Head-to-head performance of both the teams
In their debut season, Gujarat Lions faced Mumbai Indians twice, and have emerged comfortable winners in both the encounters. It will be interesting to see if Mumbai can turn around the result this time.
McCullum smashes 64 as GL put 176 on scoreboard
Brendon McCullum smashed another half century as he put up a 80-run partnership with Suresh Raina to take GL to 176 runs. McCullum scored 64, while Raina hit 28 runs. In the last six overs, Dinesh Karthik partnered with Ishan Kishan and then Jason Roy to put MI under pressure. Karthik remained unbeaten on 48 runs, while Roy scored 14 off seven balls.
Costliest IPL spell for Malinga, record of ducks for Smith
Lasith Malinga returned to MI and gave away 51 runs, his costliest spell in IPL. On the other hand, GL opener Dwayne Smith holds a record of most ducks in T20 cricket. He has returned to pavilion without scoring a run 25 times.
