Lucknow: Lucknow Super Giants opening duo showed superb run chase to outplay five-time champion Chennai Super Kings by 8 wickets in match 34 of the Indian Premier League at Ekana Cricket Stadiumb on Friday night. This was LSG’s 4th victory in 7 matches.
Chasing a challenging target of 177, LSG’s openers captain KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock started perfectly and put on 54 runs in the powerplay to build the foundation. The pair crossed 100-mark in the 11th over just after Rahul’s 31-ball half century. Proteas left hander Kock completed his 23rd IPL half century in 41 balls. The duo added 134 runs for the first wicket in 15 overs. Kock scored 54 off 43 balls.
Rahul went back off an excellent catch by Ravindra Jadeja after scoring 82 runs from 53 balls when the score was 161.
The hosts reached the target in 19 overs losing two wicket. Nicholas Pooran (23) remained unbeaten with Marcus Stoinis (8).
Earlier, MS Dhoni's quick-fire 28 off nine deliveries after Ravindra Jadeja's unbeaten half-century lifted Chennai Super Kings to 176 for 6 in 20 overs.
Given the chance to bat first Chennai got off to a poor start as Mohsin Khan from the Media End struck on the very first ball. He bowled a scrambled seam delivery to Rachin Ravindra and disturbed the stumps to make the crowd roar for him.
CSK had just started to pick up pace after being 7/1 in two overs and were 29/1 after four. K.L. 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 Ruturaj Gaikwad for 17.
CSK were crumbling with five down in 13 overs and a strange wicket fell on Pandya’s ball with Sameer Rizvi dancing miles down the ground for Rahul to affect a stumping. Rizvi lasted all of five balls for just one run and hasn't impressed at all in his maiden IPL season.
Dhoni was shadow batting in the dressing room with three bats next to him. Moeen Ali joined Jadeja who was making CSK tick along. He was on 33 off 24. CSK were 93/5 after 13 overs. After 15 overs, CSK were 113/5, and with 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 could get anywhere closer to that, they would be more than happy, especially to post something around 160.
Bishnoi came back to bowl his last over of the spell which he later ended with the figure of 1-44 was taken down by Moeen Ali for three back-to-back sixes in the 18th over. Two on the leg side and one over long-off before he holed out to deep midwicket. But he departed after scoring 30 from 20 deliveries. CSK were 142 for 6 after 18 overs.
In came Dhoni and kicked off with a one-bounce four through extra cover, a most un-Dhoni-like six over the keeper's head after walking across the stumps as Mohsin was bowling very wide of the crease. CSK were 157 for 6 after 19, with 15 from the 19th over.
The 19-run last over from Yash Thakur propelled CSK to 176 for 6 after Dhoni powered his way for 16 runs in the last four deliveries after just three runs came from the first two. Jadeja remained unbeaten on 57 in 40 deliveries with Dhoni scoring 28 in just nine deliveries.
For LSG, Pandya struck twice and Mohsin, Yash, Ravi and Stoinis claimed a wicket each.
Brief scores: Chennai Super Kings 176/6 in 20 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 57 not out, Ajinkya Rahane 36; Krunal Pandya 2-16, Marcus Stoinis 1-7) lost to Lucknow Super Giants 180/2 in 19 overs (KL Rahul 82, Quinton de Kock 54, Nicholas Pooran 23 no). Agencies
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