Chennai Super Kings Prevail over Lucknow Super Giants in a High-Scoring Encounter in IPL 2023
The sixth match of the 2023 Indian Premier League saw the Chennai Super Kings take on the Lucknow Super Giants at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The CSK, who were playing at their home ground after a four-year gap, were eager to put up a good performance in front of their home crowd. The Super Giants, on the other hand, were high on confidence after a dominant win in their opening match of the season.
The CSK had a disappointing start to their campaign, having lost their first match to the Gujarat Titans. In that match, Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a brilliant 92 runs off just 50 deliveries, but lacked support from the other batters. Rajvardhan Hangargekar picked up three wickets but it wasn’t enough to prevent a loss. Skipper MS Dhoni didn’t get much time in the middle but did manage to hit one lusty blow out of the park.
The CSK had a point to prove in their home ground and were keen to make amends for their previous defeat. The home crowd was eager to see the likes of Moeen Ali, Devon Conway, Ben Stokes, and Ravindra Jadeja put up a show at the fortress against a team that was riding high on confidence.
The Super Giants had been consistent in their performances throughout the last season and had started the 2023 edition with a win. They had gone past the Capitals in a dominating manner, winning the match by a margin of 50 runs. The West Indian duo of Kyle Mayers and Nicholas Pooran were instrumental in the team’s success, but the main damage was done by Mark Wood, who accounted for five scalps conceding just 14 runs. Wood was previously a part of the CSK setup in 2018 where he played just one game for the yellow army.
The Super Giants were a formidable side with the right balance considering the presence of all-rounders in their ranks. However, it all came down to how the KL Rahul-led team handled the pressure of playing the Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai!
Venue Stats: The MA Chidambaram Stadium had been a fortress for the CSK over the years. Since 2018, the team that batted first had won 10 matches, while the team that batted second had won nine matches. The average first-innings total was 153, while the average first-innings winning score was 167.
Head to Head: The Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings had encountered each other only once before, with the Super Giants emerging victorious by chasing down a target of 211 and winning by six wickets.
Toss: The Lucknow Super Giants won the toss and elected to field first.
KL Rahul, the Super Giants’ skipper, said, “We’ll field first. We want to know the target & what we are chasing. It was a really good performance against DC, all boxes ticked. We need to turn up again today and better those performances. Jaydev Unadkat misses out, Yash Thakur comes in and Krishnappa Gowtham comes in place of Ayush Badoni.” Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the CSK skipper, said, “It means a lot to be back here in Chennai. IPL started in 2008 but we’ve not played a lot of cricket here thereafter. Only about 5-6 seasons we’ve been here. This is the first time the full stadium will be operational. Really glad that we get to play all our home games here at Chepauk, means a lot to all of us. We are going in with the same squad for this game. Need to keep assessing our situation and keep revisiting our targets.
CSK got off to a flying start, thanks to some brilliant batting from Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway, who put up 110 runs off just 54 balls. Gaikwad scored his second fifty of the season, while Conway complimented him with 47 off just 29 balls. Ravi Bishnoi did manage to pull it back a little after dismissing Gaikwad, but cameos from Shivam Dube, Ambati Rayudu, and MSD helped CSK reach a huge total of 217.
An asking rate of 10.85 was always going to be a difficult chase, with the spinners available in the CSK ranks. LSG did make the most of the powerplay, courtesy of some hard-hitting by Kyle Mayers, who was on fire once again. Mayers registered his second fifty, finishing with 53 off just 22 balls. CSK spinners Mitchell Santner and Moeen Ali put brakes on the scoring rate and also kept picking wickets at regular intervals. The spin duo conceded just 47 from their 8 overs. Ali was the pick of the bowlers, accounting for 4 LSG wickets. LSG did good to reach 205, but fell short by 12 runs to breach the fortress.
KL Rahul, LSG skipper, said, “Not the ideal start after winning the toss. The first couple of overs it was a bit sticky, and there was a bit of movement, but we did not bowl in the right areas, and they got that flier. When you have quality batters in the opposition, they make you pay. Something for us to learn, but the way Rutu and Conway played was brilliant. It does take time to learn what lengths to bowl on a surface, but to go for 70-odd in six overs isn’t ideal. We batted well, but we didn’t capitalize on the small momentum.” Mahendra Singh Dhoni, CSK skipper, said, “All of us were thinking how the wicket would play. I initially thought it would be much slower. But it was a wicket where you could actually score runs. Fast bowling needs to improve. Bowlers need to bowl according to the conditions. What is important is to be aware as to what the opposition bowlers are doing and going about with their plans. One more thing, if they’ll have to bat second in the upcoming games, then they will have to bowl better in the powerplay.”
Overall, it was a convincing win for CSK, who finally got to play in their own backyard after four long years. The crowd support was amazing, and the players were delighted to have the backing of their fans. MS Dhoni was once again the cynosure of all eyes, as he was just 8 runs short of achieving the milestone of 5000 runs in IPL.
The next match for CSK is against the Mumbai Indians, which promises to be an exciting encounter. The two teams have a long-standing rivalry, and both will be looking to come out on top in this clash of the titans. For CSK, it will be about building on their momentum and improving their fast bowling, while Mumbai will be hoping to get their campaign back on track after a slow start.