Lucknow Super Giants are crossing swords with Mumbai Indians in the ongoing fixture at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium located in Lucknow. Mumbai Indians won the toss and opted to bowl first.

Krunal Pandya retires hurtMeanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants batters struggled to produce a spark on a tough batting track. However, the likes of Marcus Stoinis and Krunal Pandya ensured to play a smart brand of cricket when it really mattered the most. 

The duo assessed the conditions pretty well and did their job accordingly. Lucknow Super Giants benefitted from both the batters' efforts. In the end, Lucknow Super Giants posted a competitive total of 177/3 in their designated quota of 20 overs.

However, during Lucknow Super Giants' innings, Krunal Pandya walked off the field injured while batting on 49. He retired hurt at 49 off 42 balls with the help of 1 four and a six. 

Ravi Ashwin posts a cryptic tweet after Krunal Pandya walks off the field

The majority of the social media users heaped praise on Krunal Pandya for his selflessness. While the netizens lauded Krunal Pandya for his decision, Rajasthan Royals' veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin raised a question on his official Twitter handle. 

While the commentators on-air cited the injury for Krunal Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin felt that it was a tactical move by Krunal Pandya. He tweeted: “Retired out?”

Krunal Pandya made his way back to the dugout, which saw Nicholas Pooran coming out to bat. Needless to say, he didn't make any difference to the team as he scored eight runs off eight balls. 

Lucknow Super Giants' playing XI:

Quinton de Kock (wk), Deepak Hooda, Prerak Mankad, Krunal Pandya (c), Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Naveen-ul-Haq, Ravi Bishnoi, Swapnil Singh, Mohsin Khan

Mumbai Indians' playing XI:

Quinton de Kock (wk), Deepak Hooda, Prerak Mankad, Krunal Pandya (c), Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Naveen-ul-Haq, Ravi Bishnoi, Swapnil Singh, Mohsin Khan