WATCH: Ishan Kishan’s Power Hitting in Nets is a Warning For LSG Ahead of IPL 2023 Eliminator

Ishan Kishan was seen smashing the ball hard in nets ahead of LSG vs MI clash (MI Twitter)

Ishan Kishan showcased his ‘pure class’ as he smashed the ball hard in the nets ahead of Mumbai Indians’ must-win clash against Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2023 Eliminator

With 439 runs to his name, Ishan Kishan has been Mumbai Indians’ second-highest run-scorer in this season’s Indian Premier League (IPL). The five-time IPL champions will once again be relying on Ishan’s sublime run-scoring prowess when they take the field against Lucknow Super Giants in the first Eliminator tonight.

Mumbai Indians are aiming to win the IPL title for a record sixth time. Ahead of the eliminator, the 24-year-old was seen smashing several sixes in the nets. Ishan was coming dancing down the track to take on bowlers during the practice session. A clip of Ishan’s big-hitting prowess was shared by the Mumbai-based franchise on Instagram. “The Backlift. The Heave. The Timing. Just pure class,” the caption read.

Ishan Kishan has so far notched up three half-centuries in the 16th edition of the IPL. Ishan currently has an impressive strike rate of 143.46 in IPL 2023. Ishan was recently named as the injured KL Rahul’s replacement in Team India’s World Test Championship (WTC) squad.

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Rahul endured an injury while fielding during an IPL match between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier this month in May. Indian cricket team, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, will be up against Australia in the WTC final next month.

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting recently stated that Ishan Kishan, in the absence of Rishabh Pant, could end up as the X-factor for India in the WTC final. “But there is another X factor that has just been added in Ishan Kishan. If you look at the way he plays, he is probably like Rishabh Pant with his potential to keep and bat in the middle order. If they do play those guys they should be given the right to play an aggressive brand of cricket,” Australia’s World Cup-winning captain was quoted as saying in an event organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

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In international cricket, Ishan Kishan has till now represented India 41 times but he has not played in a Test match yet. In IPL, he has scored 2309 runs with a strike rate of 134.32 in 89 games. Ishan has 15 half-centuries under his belt in the history of IPL.