Finch scored his third consecutive half-century of this edition to take Gujarat Lions over the line.
In-form Australian opener Aaron Finch battled a hamstring injury to single-handedly take Gujarat Lions to a three-wicket last ball victory over defending champions Mumbai Indians in a thrilling IPL match in Mumbai on Saturday.
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T20 expert Finch (67 not out) played the sheet anchor's role as he batted through the innings to hit his third half-century on the trot as tournament debutantes Gujarat Lions notched up their third straight victory to remain on top of the table at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Chasing 144 for a win, the Lions lost an early wicket before Finch's 67 off 54 balls, studded with a six and seven fours, kept one end up and guide his side home to a well-deserved victory.
The visitors reached 147 for 7 in the last ball after facing some anxious moments when they lost two wickets in the penultimate over from Mitchell Mclenaghan, MI's best bowler with 4 for 21.
Gujarat Lions needed 11 runs from the last over and the 29-year-old Finch, who developed a hamstring problem in the 18th over, and Dhawal Kulkarni (6 not out) got the required runs with the Australian fittingly hitting a pulled four off the final ball bowled by Jasprit Bumrah after the scores were tied.
The visiting team, sans key all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja who opted out of the game due to his marriage tomorrow, played clinically efficient cricket to dump MI to their second defeat in as many home games this season.
Opting to field first, the Lions did not allow MI to fly off to a good start, reducing the hosts and two-time winners to 19 for 2 initially and then 77 for five, and the home team never fully recovered from this early wobble.
Only a late stand of 42 in the last three overs between Krunal Pandya (18 not out) and Tim Southee (25 in 11 balls) helped MI recover to some extent and post a score in excess of 140. MI now travel to Hyderabad to take on Sunrisers on April 18 while the Lions head home to Rajkot to clash with the Hyderabad franchise on April 21.
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 "Aaron Finch and Dhawal Kulkarni")
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