IPL 2023, CSK v LSG: CSK secure victory with all-round effort in Chennai
IPL 2023, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) v Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Top Performances: Ruturaj Gaikwad-Devon Conway's 110-run opening stand, Ravi Bishnoi's 3-28 and Moeen Ali's 4-26 are top performances. CSK beat LSG by 12 runs and move to 6th place in table.
Brief Scores: CSK 217/7 (Ruturaj 57, Conway 47, Bishnoi 3/28) beat LSG (Mayers 53, Pooran 32, Moeen 4/26) by 12 runs
The men in yellow returned to their fortress in what was an emotional homecoming for the four-times IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as they hosted Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in either team’s second league game of the season at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday.
While CSK lost their first game comprehensively against defending champions Gujarat Titans, LSG emerged victorious over Delhi Capitals. The teams have earlier faced each other once in the edition of IPL with Lucknow coming on top.
No support spin options for Bishnoi hurt LSG
LSG were hard hit by the lack of quality spinners in their side. We saw how the spin duo of Moeen Ali and Mitchell Santner did wonders for CSK taking 5 wickets for 47 runs between them. However, for LSG, apart from Ravi Bishnoi who took 3/28, the other two spinners Krunal Pandya and Krishnappa Gowtham gave away 0/41 in 3 overs between them.
Also, LSG’s top-order is a cause of worry. KL Rahul looked out of touch as did Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis and Krunal Pandya, making it too hard for the lower middle-order batters to get past the target.
Read More: IPL 2023, GT v CSK: Hosts register 5-wicket victory in season opener; Gujarat-3, Chennai-0
Chennai got off to a rollicking start & contained Lucknow later on
Lucknow skipper KL Rahul won the toss and opted to field first citing the dew factor. MS Dhoni-led CSK unsurprisingly chose to go with the same side that lost the first game and Super Giants made a single change bringing Yash Thakur in place of left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat.
After being put into bat, Chennai Super Kings were off to a roaring start with openers, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway, putting on quite a show. Ruturaj continued to impress with yet another display of authentic batting. He was well supported by the Kiwi opener as the pair reached 50-run stand in the 5th over while finishing the powerplay at a score of 79/0. Gaikwad (57) reached his second successive half-century in just 25 deliveries before succumbing to the leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who broke the 110-run opening stand.
Conway threatened to take the game away from LSG, but fell to Mark Wood after compiling a well-made 29-ball 47. Shivam Dube continued to play attacking cricket along with Moeen Ali; Bishnoi’s googly accounted for the former not before getting hit for 2 consecutive sixes.
LSG bowlers, especially Bishnoi and Wood (3 wickets each), chipped in with breakthroughs at regular intervals even though the middle-order of CSK comprising of Dhoni (12 from 3) and Rayudu (14-ball 27) blistering cameos took the team to a mammoth 217/7 on what was not a usual Chepauk wicket.
Chasing a daunting target of 218 on what was looking like a batting paradise, LSG opener Kyle Mayers started from where he left off a couple of days ago. He once again gave the team a blazing start and courtesy some ordinary CSK bowling, LSG reached 50 in only the 4th over, with Mayers reaching his half-century in only 21 balls. But Moeen Ali struck in the last over of the powerplay sending back the dangerous Mayers for 53, with LSG on a healthy score of 80/1. The next 2 overs from the spin duo of Santner-Moeen saw twin wickets of Hooda and KL Rahul as LSG were reduced to 84/3.