KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) took on Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 39th match of the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024) on Tuesday, April 23 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk. .
The KL Rahul-led team won the toss and opted to bowl first in the match keeping in mind the dew factor in the second innings. Initially, LSG’s bowlers were brilliant as they kept the run rate in check and picked two early wickets.
However, once CSK stars Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube joined forces, they led the LSG players to the cleanup. Gaikwad scored 108 runs and Dube scored 66 as CSK posted 210/4.
Chasing the target, Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal failed but Marcus Stoinis batted exceptionally and added 70 runs in 34 balls with Nicholas, who also batted well, to bring LSG back into the game.
After Pooran got out, Stoinis took the responsibility on his shoulders and smashed a ton to propel his team to a 6-wicket victory. He scored 124 off 63 balls to take home the Player of the Match award.
At the post-match presentation ceremony, KL Rahul said that it was a special victory for them as they were mostly behind in the game. KL Rahul stated:
“Very special, especially when it’s a game like that. We were way behind in the game when we were batting, so it was very special to do it. It was a new start, both teams started at 0. Different conditions here. “I think they started very well and they pressed us 170-180, it would have been a big total here, but they batted very well.”
KL Rahul praised Marcus Stoinis for leading LSG to victory and said the Australian all-rounder batted smartly and picked his bowlers perfectly.
“Full credit to Stoinis. It wasn’t just a power hit, it was very smart batting. He picked his bowlers and played very well. (By sending Stoinis for 3) We felt we needed to be braver and capitalize on the power play and we needed 1 Power Batsman in the top 3. I realized that T20 cricket has changed in the last few years, 170-180 is not always enough, you need to put more effort into the power play and the impact player rule. It also gives a little more depth.”
KL Rahul, who recently started playing aggressively, further spoke about the change in his batting approach and said that he was happy to be finding success with it. KL Rahul signed off by talking about his impressive catch to return Ajinkya Rahane and cheekily said that he hopes to win the catch of the tournament award for his efforts. KL Rahul explained:
“(On switching to his own batting) I haven’t played much T20 cricket, I’m so happy it’s going well. There’s no set plan, apart from the first few matches, everyone else is ready to go when we feel it’s right. .We’re I’ll keep it flexible (About his previous catch) Not bad, not bad… I hope to get the tournament prize (smiles), I was just being modest.”
Previous meeting result of LSG vs CSK IPL 2024
The previous encounter between the two teams was a one-sided affair at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, on April 19. After electing to bowl first in the match, LSG’s bowlers did a fantastic job and restricted the Chennai Super. Kings (CSK) to a decent total of 176/6.
Ravindra Jadeja made a half-century, Ajinkya Rahane and Moeen Ali chipped in with 30 runs, while MS Dhoni made a sensational 28-run cameo. For LSG, Krunal Pandya picked two wickets, while Marcus Stoinis, Yash Thakur, Mohsin Khan and Ravi Bishnoi managed to get one wicket each.
Chasing the target, KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock gave a remarkable start to Lucknow Super Giants and almost sealed the team’s victory with their 134-run stand. After the openers came out, Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran batted well to help LSG complete the chase in 19 overs. Lucknow Super Giants managed to defeat the five-time champions by 8 wickets.