Overview
- Kerala defended 178/5 after Sanju Samson’s 28-ball 46 set the tone, with Sharafuddeen smashing an unbeaten 35 off 15 and Vishnu Vinod anchoring 43* off 40.
- Mumbai were bowled out for 163 in 19.4 overs as an 80-run stand between Ajinkya Rahane (32 off 18) and Sarfaraz Khan (52 off 40) faded late.
- KM Asif returned 5/24 in 3.4 overs, removing Sairaj Patil, Suryakumar Yadav and Shardul Thakur in the 18th over before closing the innings in the final over.
- Mumbai suffered their first defeat of the season yet stayed top on 16 points, while Kerala moved to third on 12, marginally behind Andhra on net run rate.
- Asif’s tally at Lucknow rose to 13 wickets in four SMAT matches this season, prompting fresh chatter about IPL prospects, which remains speculative.