Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 24 (ANI): Following his side’s six-wicket loss to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad said that dew in the second half of the game took their spinners out of the game.
Marcus Stoinis defied the odds with his relentless onslaught and his maiden ton guided Lucknow Super Giants to a 6-wicket win over the Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk on Tuesday in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
Following the match in the post-match presentation, Gaikwad said, “Tough pill to swallow but LSG played a good game at the end. We had the game in hand around the 13th over, but hats off to Stoinis. There was a huge part that the dew played. It took the spinners away from the game. We could have taken the game deeper. But it is a part of the game, you cannot control the uncontrollable.”
Gaikwad said that whenever wickets fall in the powerplay, Jadeja is sent out to bat and that is why Shivam Dube came down the order.
“Jaddu is batting at number four. We lost the second wicket in the powerplay and he was the one to come at that stage. We have a clear process, that whenever a wicket falls (during the powerplay)) Jaddu is the one to come in. Batting first we could not have got more than that. I never thought it was enough. It was just about enough with the amount of dew we were having. Credit to them for how they batted,” concluded the skipper.
Coming to the match, LSG opted to bowl first. After a slow start, it was a century from skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (108 in 60 balls, with 12 fours and three sixes) and an explosive half-century from in-form Shivam Dube (66 in 27 balls, with three fours and seven sixes) that powered CSK to 210/4 in their 20 overs.
Matt Henry, Mohsin Khan, and Yash Thakur got a wicket each for LSG.
In the run-chase, LSG struggled to catch the right tempo in the first half and was 88/3 in 11 overs. But it was Stoinis, who was sent up the order, kept his side in the hunt with his ferocious striking. Cameos from Nicholas Pooran (34 in 15 balls, with six fours and two sixes) and Deepak Hooda (17* in six balls, with two fours and a six) took some pressure off the Aussie star as he blasted 17 runs within three balls of the final over to seal a six-wicket win. Stoinis was unbeaten on 124 in 63 balls, with 13 fours and six sixes.
Stoinis took home the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
LSG is in the fourth spot with five wins and three losses, giving them 10 points. CSK has dropped to fifth spot, with four wins, four losses and a total of eight points. (ANI)
