IPL 2022: Mohsin Khan, swinging matches Lucknow Super Giants’ way – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Unless you are a keen follower of the IPL auctions, you probably do not remember Mumbai Indians acquiring Mohsin Khan in the auctions, first in 2018, then again in 2020. A left-arm pacer whose strength lies in swinging the new ball, he did not play a match in either season. Then, at 23, he was acquired by the Lucknow Super Giants.

It was difficult for young Mohsin to break through to the Lucknow side, a unit whose strength lies in an army of all-rounders. Mohsin had to make it based on bowling alone. Even then, he played in Lucknow’s first match of the tournament, against Gujarat Titans. He bowled two forgettable, wicketless overs for 18 runs, Lucknow lost, and he was dropped for nearly a month.

Mohsin Khan has taken nine wickets this IPL season. Image: Sportzpics

He returned against Mumbai Indians, who had kept him benched for two seasons. However, his stints had not been wasted. He picked up as many tricks of the trade as possible from Lasith Malinga and Zaheer Khan – just as he had done when he had spent some time with Mohammed Shami in 2020.

Lucknow were defending 169 that night. It was not a big target, but the Mumbai openers – like the rest of their team – had been going through a rough patch. The second ball went for five wides. There was another wide, then Rohit Sharma found the boundary. Eleven off the over. He did not get to bowl again in the Powerplay.

When he did, in the ninth over, Mumbai needed 115 in 72 balls. Finally, in his second match, he found his rhythm. He stuck to length balls outside off. The third ball was slightly short, Dewald Brevis went for it, but the uppercut went to third man. Mohsin’s first IPL wicket. Two runs and a wicket: Mohsin had finally arrived.

He established his credentials further when he came on to bowl the 15th over. With 76 to defend in six overs, all Mohsin conceded was five singles. Kieron Pollard hit a six in his last over, but Mohsin signed off with nine runs – figures of 4-0-27-1. Lucknow won. Mohsin stayed put. The night was dominated by Krunal Pandya and Dushmantha Chameera, but Mohsin did his bit.

Against Punjab Kings, Lucknow had to defend even fewer – 154. By now Lucknow had zeroed in on Mohsin for the first over. He began with a maiden to Shikhar Dhawan, but his next over went for 15, when Mayank Agarwal went after him.

By the time he returned, the match was in Punjab’s grip. They needed only 66 in 48 balls with seven wickets in hand. But Liam Livingstone tried to shuffle and flick the first ball of Mohsin’s second spell – and was caught behind. He returned again, for the 18th over, to claim two wickets and as good as seal the match for Lucknow.

By now there had been some buzz around Mohsin. That scaled unprecedented heights after the Delhi Capitals match.

Delhi had to chase 196 that night – but then, they also had the firepower for that, right from their much-feared opening pair of Prithvi Shaw and David Warner. Mohsin bowled accurately, conceded a run off the first over and four off the second, while taking out Warner. Then came the much talked-about duel against Rishabh Pant.

At this stage Delhi needed 83 in 48 balls. Mohsin bowled outside off. Pant stepped out for that now-famous cross-batted swing of his, and missed. Mohsin stuck to that line. The next ball was too wide, so Mohsin bowled straighter. Pant played it to point.

With a packed off-side field, Pant had little option but to play towards the leg side. He moved swiftly to attempt one of those swivel-pulls, but could not time it. He got a run, and got the strike back for the last ball.

Until this point Mohsin had been bowling outside off stump, holding the line or moving it slightly away. The last ball was full and on the stumps. Pant tried to flick, but had probably expected a wider line. He was caught rooted to the crease and was bowled.

At this point Mohsin had 3-0-12-1, but now came a sterner test. He returned when Delhi had to score 50 in 24 balls. And now he unleashed the cutter, across Rovman Powell, moving further away. Powell, who had just been cutting loose, eyed the shorter leg-side boundary, but the ball was too far away from him for that. He was caught at deep mid wicket.

Three balls later, Mohsin had a near-encore. Though Shardul Thakur attempted a different shot, he eyed the same area; Mohsin bowled to the same off-stump line, moved the ball away in similar fashion; and Thakur found the same fielder.

With 4-0-16-4, Mohsin Khan was named Player of the Match. From a reserve-bench player, he suddenly started to appear in everyone’s ‘Players to Watch Out for’ lists.

By the time he came out to defend 177 against Kolkata Knight Riders, all eyes were on him. And he lived up to the expectations. Baba Indrajith was beaten by three of the first three balls, and inside-edged the other. He middled the fifth. There was no run yet. Mohsin had not erred in line or length, and had been moving the new ball at will.

So Indrajith stepped out for a wild pull. Unfortunately, Mohsin’s accuracy did not allow him the room for that. Cramped for space, all Indrajith could manage was a mistimed top edge that ballooned in the air. Mohsin began with a wicket-maiden.

Shreyas Iyer attempted to play straight off the next ball from Mohsin, in the next over. The ball moved away to find his edge. The next two balls moved past his outside edge. Not too long ago, Iyer had scored a hundred on Test debut, but even he was finding it difficult to put bat on ball.

Iyer finally got a run next ball, off an edge. He got the strike back, but only when Aaron Finch was beaten but managed to run a leg-bye. Iyer finally middled the last ball – only the second ball from Mohsin in two overs where a batter was in control. His figures read 2-1-1-1.

By the time he returned, Andre Russell had arrived, and Kolkata needed to score at 11.69 an over. Rinku Singh got out of the way with a run. The stage was set.

Russell played one to point, then went after the next ball. Unfortunately, he had not read the variation, for Mohsin had now unearthed a new trick: the slower bouncer. Russell, now eager to score, moved away and tried to cut the next ball. He got four – but off a top edge.

Mohsin beat Russell again with the fifth ball, with a change of pace. Now, with one ball to go, Mohsin bowled a cutter that pitched straight. Russell mistimed a defensive stroke, but the ball fell safely.

Mohsin finished with 3-1-6-1, perhaps his best bowling performance of the season so far. They could middle only four of his 18 balls.

As the well-justified buzz around Umran Malik and Kuldeep Sen continues, Mohsin Khan continues to improve with every match. By the time the tournament gets over, he may end up as a candidate for an India cap.

Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor at CricketNews and co-author of Sachin and Azhar at Cape Town.

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