Naveen-ul-Haq's Celebration Leaves Sunil Gavaskar Flummoxed After 4-wicket Haul Against Mumbai Indians

Lucknow Super Giants pacer Naveen-ul-Haq picked up four wickets in the IPL Eliminator but his brilliance went in vain as Mumbai Indians scripted an emphatic 81-run win. The Afghan international dismissed Rohit Sharma, Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma to gain an upper hand for Lucknow. Apart from his on-field excellence, Naveen’s special shut-out-the-noise celebration went viral on social media

India great Sunil Gavaskar has something to say about Naveen’s celebration. Gavaskar, who was present in the commentary box, said, “Brilliant, terrific delivery. This delivery was 105 while the previous one was 133. It was so deceptive. And then he celebrates but I have not understood this celebration.”

“He has had issues with the crowd. You should celebrate by chucking your ears. This is the time he has got a wicket. He has got to listen to the applause. When somebody scores a hundred also, don’t chuck your ears. Listen to the applause, chuck your hand behind the ears and say ‘hello, now can I hear you?’. That’s how the celebration should be. That’s old me saying this, by the way,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying by India Today.

Naveen-ul-Haq made his IPL debut this season and the 23-year-old has so far bagged 11 wickets this season. Naveen completed his four overs with sensational figures of 4/38 yesterday against Mumbai Indians. Apart from him, Lucknow Super Giants pacer Yash Thakur produced a stunning show by claiming three wickets. Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green pulled off a vital knock of 41 to guide Mumbai to a fighting total of 182.

For Lucknow Super Giants, the target proved to be quite a challenging one as Krunal Pandya’s men could only manage to reach 101. Only three Lucknow players- Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis and Deepak Hooda- reached the double-digit mark.

Mumbai Indians pacer Akash Madhwal bagged five wickets conceding as many runs in 3.3 overs. Madhwal’s spectacular performance guided Rohit Sharma’s men to a comfortable 81-run victory. “I was just practising, and waiting for this opportunity. I did my engineering, and played tennis-ball cricket since it was my passion,” Man of the Match Madhwal was quoted as saying after the game.

Akash Madhwal played first IPL game this season during a game against Punjab Kings. The 29-year-old has claimed 13 wickets after playing seven games in IPL 2023.

In the second Qualifier of IPL 2023, Mumbai Indians will be up against defending champions Gujarat Titans on Friday. The winner of the game will take on Chennai Super Kings in the IPL final on Sunday.