In a thrilling immediate rematch between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), LSG once again emerged victorious, preventing CSK from avenging their previous loss in the payback week. The key contribution came from Marcus Stoinis, who played a phenomenal innings to score a century and chase down a massive target of 211. LSG captain Rahul’s decision to promote Stoinis in the batting order based on his impressive hitting ability proved to be excellent and rewarding, as Stoinis’s exceptional performance led to a phenomenal fightback.
CSK’s captain Ruturaj Gaikwad showed great leadership skills by displaying his batting prowess by scoring a scintillating century, receiving able support from Shivam Dube, who played an aggressive knock of 66 off 27 deliveries. Dube’s excellent performance earned him the Electric Striker and Sixes of the Match awards, as he hit seven sixes during his innings. CSK posted a mammoth total of 210/4.
However, Stoinis’s century, along with quickfire cameos from Nicholas Pooran and Deepak Hooda, propelled LSG’s fantastic fightback. This was the third time this IPL that a batsman’s century was undone by one from the opposition batsman and the first time that Jos Buttler wasn’t the one to do so. Stoinis grabbed almost all the awards at the post-match presentation, except for the Electric Striker and Sixes of the Match, which were given to Dube. Stoinis missed out on the Sixes of the Match award as he went for a six to hit the winning runs but could only manage a four. If he had hit a six, his total number of fours and sixes would have equaled Gaikwad’s and Dube’s respectively, earning him both awards based on more runs. Harsha Bhogle even indirectly mentioned this during the post-match presentation.
CSK started their bowling well, with Deepak Chahar, Mustafizur Rahman, and Matheesha Pathirana dismissing Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul, and Devdutt Padikkal respectively. However, LSG fought back and won the thrilling game, with 19 runs coming off just 3 deliveries in Mustafizur’s last over, including a four off a no ball.
Stoinis’s outstanding performance is a positive sign for Australian cricket, especially with Travis Head also in blazing form, Jake Fraser-McGurk showing great potential, and Pat Cummins excelling as a bowler and captain. These performances bode well for Australia ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup. Despite the contract drama and controversy surrounding Australian players prioritizing club cricket for financial reasons, it is unlikely to affect their participation in a major event like the World Cup.
In conclusion, LSG once again outplayed CSK, denying them revenge for their previous loss in the payback week of IPL 2024. LSG’s victory propelled them into the top four of the points table, while CSK suffered their second consecutive loss and dropped out of the top four. LSG will aim to continue their winning streak to secure a spot in the playoffs, while CSK will seek to bounce back and regain their winning form to qualify for the playoffs.
