IPL 2024: Marcus Stoinis’ ton gives Lucknow Super Giants vital win against Chennai Super Kings

Chennai: Marcus Stoinis’ magnificent century helped Lucknow Super Giants to enter into the top four in the points table of Indian Premier League as they beat five-time champion Chennai Super Kings by 6 wickets at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Tuesday. With this win LSG reached the fourth spot with 10 points from 8 matches.

Chasing 210, LSG, after losing openers Quinton de Kock (0) and KL Rahul (16) inside powerplay, kept hopes alive through the superb partnership between Nicholas Pooran (35 runs from 15 balls) and Marcus Stoinis. The West Indian went back after added 70 runs 33 balls for the 4th wicket when they needed 53 runs from 23 balls.

Stoinis completed his century in 56 balls with 5 sixes and 7 fours to maintain the momentum.

He and Deepak Hooda scored 15 runs in the penultimate over bowled by Matheesha Pathiran. They needed 17 from the final over.  Aussie all-rounder Stoinis struck one six and three four off Mustafizur Rahman’s over to ensure the victory with three balls to spare. He remained unbeaten at memorable 124 from 63 balls with Hooda (17 from 6 balls).

Earlier, Ruturaj Gaikwad slammed his second century of the IPL career while Shivam Dube blazed to a blistering 66 off 27 deliveries, which took Chennai Super Kings to 210/4.

Asked to bat first by the visitors, Chennai suffered an early setback as Matt Henry provided LSG the first breakthrough on the very last ball of the opening over. Henry bowled the first five balls either on good length or just short of it.

For the last ball, he went full outside off and Ajinkya Rahane couldn't resist the temptation to drive at it. But all he managed was an outside edge as it went to the right side of K.L. Rahul - the first slip was a touch wide - and the keeper dived full length and pouched it.

Gaikwad scored 37 runs in the Power-play and had only twice scored more in this phase in T20s. Coincidentally, his best score in the Power-play (46) was also against LSG and at Chepauk. Gaikwad continued his rich batting on a tricky pitch as he reached his third half-century of the season in 28 deliveries. CSK were 85/2 after 10 overs.

It was a slower ball from Mohsin Khan, bowled into the surface as it angled across Jadeja, who went for the pull but only got a glove to it as Rahul completed an easy catch behind the wicket. CSK were 103/3 after 12 overs with Gaikwad motoring along on 71 off 39 balls. The other batters managed to contribute only 30 off 33 deliveries.

The in-form Shivam Dube walked to the crease and straightaway sent his fourth delivery for the first maximum of the innings, which came after 12.5 overs. Mohsin bowled one slightly full around off and Dube launched him down the ground for a maximum.

After hitting Marcus Stoinis for a six and a four across the allrounder's two overs, Dube latched onto Yash Thakur and hammered him for three successive sixes in the 16th over. Dube moved to 37 off just 15 balls, and CSK were 154/3 after 16. It was an excellent innings from Gaikwad - he slammed his sixth hundred in T20 cricket, which came off 56 balls, after a sequence of 6, 4, 4 against Yash Thakur. Gaikwad, at 27 years and 83 days, became the second-youngest captain to score a hundred in the IPL after Sanju Samson.

In the 19th over, Dube smashed two fours and a six against Mohsin and brought up his fifty off just 22 balls. Both batters added 104 runs for the fourth-wicket partnership in just 46 deliveries. Dube started the final over with a six off Stoinis but was run out for 66 off 27 with two balls left in the innings.

That brought MS Dhoni to the middle. Gaikwad took a single on the penultimate ball and Dhoni, as he has done throughout this season, finished off in style with a boundary. He moved towards the offside to a full delivery and muscled it over midwicket for four as CSK finished with 210/4. Skipper Gaikwad remained not out on 108 runs.

Brief score: Chennai Super Kings 210/4 in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 108 not out, Shivam Dube 66; Matt Henry 1-28, Yash Thakur 1-47) lost to Lucknow Super Giants 213/4 in 19.3 overs (Marcus Stoinis 124no, Pooran 34, Pathirana 2/35). Agencies

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