"Nice to bowl with new ball in powerplay": LSG's Stoinis after win over MI

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 1 : Following his side's win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) all-rounder Marcus Stoinis said that he did not expect to bowl three overs during the powerplay and added that it was nice to bowl with the new ball.
Stoinis's all-round show powered LSG to a four-wicket win in a tense run-chase of 145 runs against Mumbai Indians (MI) at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday.
Speaking after the game in a post-match presentation, "It was nice to bowl with the new ball. As someone who is not quick, I can try to shape the ball. Did not expect to bowl three in the powerplay but it was nice to bowl. I thought the wicket was okay. We knew it was going to be slow. We could have pushed the envelope and scored a bit faster. If those partnerships went for 8-10 more balls, we would have done it more easily."
On his dismissal to Mohammed Nabi, which saw him get caught by Tilak Varma at deep mid-wicket, Stoinis said, "It was a drag-down, was not it? After doing the hard work and doing the hard stuff, it was just disappointing to get out and leave it to someone else."
He also said that this is his third year with the franchise and he is happy to be there for the team since its inception in 2022.
"I have built a few close bonds with people. We are playing good cricket, and everything is good," he concluded.
Coming to the match, LSG won the toss and opted to field first. Mumbai Indians could not get going from the start, losing four wickets for 27 runs within the powerplay. Nehal Wadhera (46 in 41 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes), Ishan Kishan (32 in 36 balls, with three fours) and Tim David (35* in 18 balls, with three fours and a six) tried their best but could take their side to just 144/7 in their 20 overs.
Mohsin Khan (2/36) was the pick of the bowlers for LSG, while Marcus Stoinis, Mayank Yadav, Naveen ul Haq and Stoinis got a wicket each.
In the run-chase of 145 runs, LSG also faced a hard challenge from MI bowlers and lost wickets at regular intervals. Stoinis' knock of 62 in 45 balls, with seven fours and two sixes proved to be just enough to take LSG to a four-wicket win with four balls and four wickets left.
Stoinis took home the 'Player of the Match' award.
LSG is in the third spot with six wins and four losses, giving them 12 points. MI is at the ninth spot with three wins, seven losses and six points.