Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain KL Rahul won hearts with his gesture of respect for legendary Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain and wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni after the LSG vs CSK clash in the Indian Premier League 2024.
KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) took on Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Friday, April 19, at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.
Lucknow Super Giants emerged victorious in the match by 8 wickets to strengthen their case to reach their third consecutive playoffs in the Indian Premier League (IPL). By winning the toss and bowling first, LSG restricted CSK to a total of 176/6, thanks to the team’s good bowling performance. Krunal Pandya picked up two wickets, while Marcus Stoinis, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur and Mohsin Khan bagged one wicket each.
Chasing the target, KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock batted magnificently and took their team flying. De Kock (54) and Rahul (82) gave a batting masterclass but could not finish the match. However, a good start set LSG up for a win and Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis took advantage to lead LSG to victory.
After the match ended, the time-honored tradition of the post-match handshake began and KL Rahul hugged his counterpart Ruturaj Gaikwad before moving on to hug MS Dhoni. As a mark of respect for the legendary MS Dhoni, KL Rahul took off his cap before shaking hands with the CSK legend and his gesture won the hearts of the fans. KL Rahul also praised MS Dhoni after the match and said that the wicketkeeper-batsman puts pressure on the bowlers when he comes on the field to bat.
Watch: KL Rahul’s gesture of respect towards MS Dhoni wins hearts
Nicholas Pooran with the winning runs as #LSG registers his fourth victory of the season 🙌
they pass #CSK For 8 wickets with a comprehensive performance in Lucknow!
Recap the match in @StarSportsIndia and @JioCinema 💻📱#TATAIPL | #LSGvCSK pic.twitter.com/rxsCoKaDaR
— Indian Premier League (@IPL) April 19, 2024
Hats off to the way they played and obviously finished off MS Dhoni – Marcus Stoinis
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) star all-rounder Marcus Stoinis was amazed by MS Dhoni’s finishing ability as the CSK great smashed 28 runs off just 9 balls against LSG. Marco Stoinis said:
“With the way we started with the ball and taking early wickets, I think we could have kept them under that total. Congratulations on the way they played and obviously finished off MS. They played well towards the end but it’s a good wicket and we built some partnerships.”
Marcus Stoinis added that the win over Chennai Super Kings was important for them and expressed his happiness at getting back to the winning ways. Marco Stoinis said:
“We needed that, it was a very important win for us. We have these guys, Chennai, in a couple of days, they are two important games for us, it’s good to be back on the winning board. They are playing good cricket. Quinny ( de Kock) and KL batted beautifully to seal it and then Nicky (Pooran) came in and iced the cake. That’s an important partnership for us at the top to allow us to play the rest of the innings and also build an order. your surroundings”.
Marcus Stoinis further said that LSG is very confident as different players are stepping up from time to time to help the team win. He elaborated:
“We have that confidence in our team and the good thing about this season so far is that there have been different guys stepping up and contributing to winning these games at different stages. We have had our bowling attack good, we have had our batsmen bat well, We had our opening partnership tonight. Different people are raising their hands, which I think is a great sign for the team. I told KL if I was done for the next four games or if they were going to give it to me. the ball again. If you can get in the captain’s ear and push that, it’ll be great.”