"Stoinis played best inning of the IPL 2023" - Twitter hails LSG all-rounder for his incredible knock against MI

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) all-rounder Marcus Stoinis produced one of the best knocks of IPL 2023, scoring a magnificent 89 off 47 balls with four boundaries and eight sixes against the Mumbai Indians (MI) on Tuesday, May 16.

Coming in with LSG in dire straits at 35/3 in the seventh over, Stoinis played himself in before unleashing in the death overs on a difficult batting wicket at Lucknow.

The Aussie all-rounder was on 45 off 35 balls when he launched a brutal assault on English paceman Chris Jordan in the 18th over of the innings. Stoinis scored 24 runs off Jordan's over, including three boundaries and two sixes that completely shifted the momentum in LSG's favor. He scored 44 off his final 12 deliveries and helped propel the Super Giants to an above-par 177/3 in their 20 overs.

Marcus Stoinis was involved in a brilliant 82-run partnership with Skipper Krunal Pandya before Pandya retired hurt on 49.

Considering the magnitude of the contest, with both sides in a virtual must-win situation, Stoinis' knock drew massive praise from fans all over Twitter.

Here are some of the best reactions:

Stoinis has had an impressive season, scoring 368 runs at an average of 33.45 and a strike rate of 151.44 while batting in the middle order.

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"We are trying to adapt and coming up with gameplans" - Marcus Stoinis on batting on the Lucknow wicket

Lucknow Super Giants all-rounder Marcus Stoinis spoke about the team trying to adapt to the much-talked-about Lucknow surface ahead of the crucial encounter against the Mumbai Indians.

The last four innings at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow have produced the highest team score of just 135-6 in 20 overs by the Gujarat Titans, putting into perspective the difficulty of the pitch for batting.

Ahead of the MI clash, Stoinis said:

"It is tough at our home ground, especially for batting. While bowling we keep it simple, use the wicket and roll the fingers on the ball. We are trying to adapt and coming up with game plans."

He also spoke about how having West Indian Nicholas Pooran in the team has helped his batting.

"Having Pooran in the side has given me a lot more freedom to move up the order," he added. "I am enjoying the responsibility. Nicky is a special talent, he is a free spirit, he has been brilliant. It's nice to see him play so well."

LSG and MI are in a near-must-win situation to qualify for the playoffs, with two games remaining for both teams.

While the Super Giants are in fourth place with 13 points from 12 games, the Mumbai Indians sit in third place with 14 points in 12 games.