LSG take down CSK's bowling for eight-wicket win
Lucknow Super Giants 180 for 2 (Rahul 82, de Kock 54, Pooran 23*, Pathirana 1-29) beat Chennai Super Kings 176 for 6 (Jadeja 57*, Rahane 36, Moeen 30, Dhoni 28*, Krunal 2-16) by eight wickets
The Ekana Stadium crowd in Lucknow was served the perfect buffet on Friday night: spectacular MS Dhoni fireworks that powered Chennai Super Kings to a competitive 176 for 6 and then the home team Lucknow Super Giants chasing it down with a classy 82 off 53 from captain KL Rahul.
LSG's chase was set up by a dominant century opening stand - the first for them this season - between Rahul and Quinton de Kock, which didn't allow any CSK bowler to settle in. They collected boundaries regularly to score 54 in the powerplay, they didn't let CSK fight back in the middle overs (which they have done often this IPL), they didn't let the asking rate touch ten, and by the time de Kock fell for 54 in the 15th over, they needed a comfortable 43 from 30 balls.
Rahul also fell before the close, to a stunning catch by Ravindra Jadeja at backward point, but that didn't stop LSG from romping home with eight wickets in hand and an over to spare.
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Where's the CSK strangle of middle overs?
Until this match, CSK were the stranglers of the middle overs in this IPL, something they showed in their last game against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede. Their economy rate of 7.03 in the middle overs before this match was miles below the next best, of Delhi Capitals' 8.04, and CSK had also taken 21 wickets in this phase, only behind DC's 22.
Pathirana had down a lot of work in the middle overs to make that happen but today, like the rest of the bowling attack, he hasd not proven to be as effective.
KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock have cruised along for nearly 15 overs and CSK finally get a breakthrough! De Kock edges an offcutter from Mustafizur Rahman behind to Dhoni for 54 off 43 and LSG are 134 for 1.
LSG need just 43 from 30 and Pooran joins his captain.
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Rahul's fifty, LSG's century
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KL Rahul is doing it in boundaries. He first cuts Jadeja past point to get to his fifty, off 31 balls, for his 35th half-century in the IPL. Next ball, he slices it just wide of point for another four and that brings up LSG's 100! As many as 14 from Jadeja's over, LSG are 103 after 11 and need 74 off 54.
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LSG right on top
We're nine overs done and there have been plenty of strokes that would have given LSG and Rahul loads of confidence for getting two points tonight. He has belted out his mighty pulls, his classy drives and his perfectly-timed pick-up shots to set up this chase nicely. Rahul is nicely placed on 46 off 27 and Quinton de Kock has scored 34 runs off 27 balls.
LSG 84 for 0 (their best opening stand this IPL) and they need 93 off 66.
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Among LSG's best powerplay starts in 2024
Isn't all the talk around KL Rahul early on in T20s (especially in the IPL) about his strike rate? Well, he has raced away to 34 off 20 with some classy strokes and led his team to 54 for 0 in the powerplay, along with Quinton de Kock, for their joint second-best powerplay score of the season.
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The best of the lot
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Dhoni powers CSK to 176 for 6
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IT IS AN MS DHONI SHOW ONCE AGAIN!
How he is doing this at the age of 42 (he'll turn 43 in July), playing for just a couple of months every year is a mystery and will perhaps always remain a mystery! Against Mumbai he did it in just four balls and today he walks out with 13 balls to go. He takes on the two inexperienced bowlers of LSG, especially Yash Thakur in the last.
A vintage Dhoni six over the cow corner on the third ball(this is a big ground, let me remind you)! What's working in his favour is that Thakur is bowling around 145kmh so even if Dhoni doesn't connect properly, a top-edge or a thick edge in the gap could also do. Thakur lands a wide yorker next ball, Dhoni gets a thick edge between short third and point for four! And after a couple of runs on the fifth, Dhoni connects properly for the wide yorker again on the last, and he sends that crashing into the boundary behind point.
MS Dhoni 28 off nine balls, with three fours and two sixes.
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This is why you're here
A one-bounce four through extra cover, a most un-Dhoni like six over the keeper's head after walking across the stumps because Mohsin was bowling very wide of the crease. The action has begun at Ekana, which is erupting for just one man.
CSK 157 for 6 after 19, with 15 from the 19th over.
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Dhoni comes out after Jadeja gets to fifty
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You won't be able to hear yourself if you were in Lucknow right now. and he's done in a much better position compared to a few overs ago, thanks to three back-to-back sixes from Moeen against Bishnoi in the 18th over. Two on the leg side and one over long-off before he holes out to deep midwicket. But he did his job and now all eyes on MSD!
CSK 142 for 6 after 18. How many of the last 12 will Dhoni face?
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Into the death overs...
Four overs to go, CSK 113 for 5, two left-hand batters out there: Jadeja and Moeen. Until this game, CSK had scored at 11.26 in the death overs and if they can get anywhere close to that, they will be more than happy, especially to post something around 160.
What they won't be thrilled about is that LSG's economy rate of 9.60 is the best for any team in that phase.
The big man is yet to come, anything can happen!
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Krunal strikes again!
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CSK are crumbling here with five down in 13 overs! A strange wicket with Sameer Rizvi dancing miles down the ground for a stumping KL Rahul would have completed with his eyes shut (after collecting the ball). Rizvi lasted all of five balls for just one run and hasn't impressed at all in his maiden IPL season.
Dhoni is shadow-batting in the dressing room with three bats next to him. He's not sitting anymore. Moeen has joined Jadeja who is making CSK tick along. He's on 33 off 24, his boundaries have also dried up, and you can't blame him for that. CSK 93 for 5 after 13.
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Dube is done!
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More (medium) pace for Dube and it might be the lack of it that has accounted for Shivam Dube at the start of the 12th over. After bowling back-to-back spin overs against Jadeja and Dube, Rahul brings on pace from both ends. As soon as Stoinis comes on, he bowls an innocuous-looking short delivery at 125.4kmh, Dube goes for the pull and top-edges for a skier which Rahul settles under just in time next to the pitch. Sameer Rizvi the new man at No. 6, he's come on as an Impact sub for Rahane, who won't field in the chase.
CSK slowing down a bit, 89 for 4 after 12, with the last five overs bringing 32 for 2.
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CSK 81 for 3 at halfway mark
It's hard to say right now if either team is in front, and that's because LSG have removed a set Rahane after the powerplay. Jadeja is knocking them at 27 off 18 and Dube is taking his time to tick along.
LSG have now brought on a fast bowler from one end - Yash Thakur - probably to bowl some short and quick ones to Dube. Will these two set a strong base or will LSG continue to strike?
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Krunal gets the big one!
After a quiet first over, Krunal takes out Rahane, who was setting up nicely with 36 off 23 before swinging across the line for a ball that wasn't so short! Krunal celebrates with no celebration and he continues to shine with his frugal bowling.
Sameer Rizvi was also padded up, but out comes Shivam Dube. Will LSG continue with spin from both ends (Bishnoi was on from the other side? Watch out for these too:
- Dube vs Krunal: 44 off 27, no dismissals
- Dube vs Bishnoi: 36 off 23, one dismissal (no fours, four sixes)
- Dube vs Thakur: 26 off 16, no dismissals
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The graph is dipping
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CSK 51 for 2 after powerplay
Ajinkya Rahane is going well for CSK at 26 off 16 after the powerplay, despite battling a niggle in the last game in Mumbai, with four fours and a six already.
And as soon as the powerplay ends comes on Krunal Pandya. And he starts with a quiet one:
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Jadeja at No. 4!
Whoddathunk! It's Ravindra Jadeja at No. 4 after Ruturaj Gaikwad edges one behind off Yash Thakur.
CSK had just started to pick up pace after being 7 for 1 in two overs and were 29 for 1 after four. KL Rahul then made a bowling change and brought on Yash Thakur for Matt Henry (2-0-17-0) and he struck with his second ball to have the CSK captain.
And much to everyone's surprise, out walked Ravindra Jadeja. With Gaikwad walking back, you can make all the guesses you want for whose decision that would have been. Don't be surprised if Krunal comes on soon because of this match-up: 15 off 15, two dismisssals
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Mohsin sets the scene
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Have a look at that for a first over and what about that for a first ball! He bowl a scrambled seam first up to Rachin Ravindra and disturbs the stumps to make the crowd roar for him. A first-ball duck for Rachin and Mohsin bowls pretty tight for the rest of the over too to concede just three runs.
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Watch out for Krunal Pandya
Krunal Pandya has been LSG's second-most economical bowler (after Mayank Yadav) with an economy rate of 7.81 in an IPL season that has seen fours and sixes flying like never before and a run rate of 9.43. He hasn't picked too many wickets (yet), just three, but he keeps things very tight, and could be called upon against right-hand batters. What's most interesting is that he has match-ups of extremes against the top CSK batters. He either ties them down or is smashed around the park. Have a look:
- Against Gaikwad – 52 off 27, no dismissals
- Against Moeen – 23 off 9, no dismissals
- Against Dube – 44 off 27, no dismissals
- Against Jadeja – 15 off 15, two dismissals
- Against Dhoni – 17 off 24, no dismissals
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Toss and teams - LSG opt to bowl; Chahar back for CSK
The coin has been flipped and the home team has won it - LSG will bowl first. "Dew hasn't been a big factor here," KL Rahul says, "there have been no blunders from us." He also reveals that "the pitches have been relaid and it's the first time we're playing here." Only one change for them: Matt Henry comes in for Shamar Joseph.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has made two changes: Moeen Ali comes in for Daryl Mitchell and Deepak Chahar for Shardul Thakur. That is the big news for CSK then, Deepak Chahar is back fit and ready to play again after missing CSK's last two games.
This is a big ground, mind you, the square boundaries are 68 and 61 meters and the straight one as long as 76. It won't be easy to clear the cow corner and extra-cover boundaries so all eyes will be on how Shivam Dube hits tonight and how LSG use Ravi Bishnoi and Krunal Pandya against him.
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The CSK train as arrived
It’s a scorching 37 degrees in Lucknow! The summer is on in full swing. The leaves have dried up, grass is being burnt, and throats are parched because everything is being roasted under the yellow Sun. The Sun may have set in Lucknow but all things are still yellow because the CSK train has chugged into the Charbagh Station. CSK are a lot more comfortable on the points table, on third with four wins from six games, but it’s the LSG flight that needs to take off soon. They’re on fifth, have won half of their games, and need to get a lot of things going for them, which Sruthi has put together in her preview right here.
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