After being knocked out of the Eliminator last season, the Lucknow Super Giants hoped of crossing that hurdle this time around, but it was not to be.
Mumbai Indians claimed their first win over LSG in the IPL as they won by 81 runs in Chennai on Wednesday.
Opting to bat, MI lost both openers with just 38 runs on the board.
Suryakumar Yadav and Cameron Green counter-attacked and took Mumbai over the 100-run mark.
But Naveen-ul-Haq claimed 4 wickets as LSG restricted MI to 182/8.
The men from Lucknow had a decent start and were 69/2 at one stage before the match turned on its head.
LSG lost its last 8 wickets for just 32 runs and was bowled out for a mere 101.
Akash Madhwal stood out with his maiden 5-wicket haul and gave away just 5 runs, which are the best figures by a bowler in this year's IPL. It's also the best figures ever in IPL playoffs.
As a result, MI entered Qualifier 2, where Rohit Sharma's men will face the Gujarat Titans on Friday.