It was as if, after many tugs at its starter twine, a motor had lastly roared into life, the method Chennai Super Kings bowled, fielded, and batted to beat Lucknow Super Giants by 5 wickets in the IPL at the Ekana Stadium right here on Monday. CSK had appeared a spent campfire coming into the match.
Its followers had begun exhibiting indicators of a tough life. So, when Rahul Tripathi took a superb working catch to dismiss LSG opener Aiden Markram off Khaleel Ahmed, it appeared he had clutched at a lifeline quite. It was as if CSK had shaken itself awake. The gamers had been astir. The supporters, who’d stuffed the stands, had been bucked up.
CSK adopted it up with Nicholas Pooran’s early dismissal. Dhoni the captain performed a hand in it.
After a six and a 4 in the fourth over, he’d packed the off-side with six fielders — behind and in entrance of sq. — for Pooran to attempt to play the ball on the leg aspect and miss it. Anshul Kamboj acquired him, leg-before, on assessment.
Opener Mitchell Marsh (30), who was threatening to get out of hand with two fours and two sixes, pulled and missed a ball that wasn’t quick sufficient and skidded in, to be bowled off Ravindra Jadeja.
Captain Rishabh Pant’s 49-ball 63 (4×4, 4×6) helped LSG to a aggressive whole from there.
With the bat, when its openers Shaik Rasheed (27) and Rachin Ravindra (37) racked up 52 off 29 balls, it appeared as if CSK had its scheme of life labored out to a tremendous level. But quickly it imploded to some extent the place Shivam Dube (43 n.o.) and Dhoni (26 n.o.) had been confronted with an equation of 56 off 30 balls.
Dhoni, who edged a few streaky fours, hit a one-handed six off Shardul Thakur to the square-leg boundary and sparked life into the chase.
Dube muscled a full toss off a no-ball over third man for a six off Shardul too. Dhoni was dropped by Ravi Bishnoi at cowl off Shardul on 20 when CSK required 12 off 10. He hit a full toss for a 4 to deep midwicket off the final ball of that over, to convey down the equation to 5 off the final over.
The visiting aspect did that with three balls to spare and ended its five-match shedding streak.
Brief scores:
Lucknow Super Giants: 166/7 in 20 overs (Rishabh Pant 63; Ravindra Jadeja 2/24).
Chennai Super Kings: 168/5 in 19.3 overs (Rachin Ravindra 37, MS Dhoni 26 not out, Shivam Dube 43 not out; Ravi Bishnoi 2/18)
Published – April 14, 2025 08:04 pm IST
