SUPER GIANTS
KL Rahul, de Kock slam half-centuries to help Lucknow beat Chennai Super Kings
Powered by half-centuries from captain KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock, Lucknow Super Giants earned a convincing 8-wicket win over defending champion Chennai Super Kings in the IPL here on Friday. Set to chase 177, LSG got there with one over to spare thanks to Rahul’s 82 (53b, 9x4, 3x6) and de Kock’s 54 (43b, 5x4, 1x6) as the opening pair added 134 runs. Once the duo was separated, Nicholas Pooran scored an unbeaten 23 (12b, 3x4, 1x6). This is LSG’s fourth win in seven matches and takes it to fifth in the table, while CSK suffered its third loss in seven games to occupy the third spot.
Earlier, Ravindra Jadeja came up with a solid unbeaten 57 before Moeen Ali and MS Dhoni went on a six-hitting spree to power Chennai Super Kings to a competitive 176 for six.
Jadeja slammed five fours and a six to anchor the innings after a top and middle-order batting failure but Ali (30 off 20) and Dhoni (28 off 9) swung the momentum back with a late charge after the 16th over.
Opting to bowl, KL Rahul was spot on with his bowling changes as the pacers put the CSK batters under pressure initially before spinner Krunal Pandya tightened the noose in the middle overs.
But Ali’s three sixes off Ravi Bishnoi (1/44) and Mohsin Khan’s 19th over which yielded 15 overs, including four wides, a six and a four and a 19-run 20th over handed the initiative back to CSK. The last four overs yielded 63.
LSG seamers were on the money from the start as they exploited the conditions to pick up two wickets in the powerplay.
Opener Rachin Ravindra’s (0) awful run continued as left-arm pacer Mohsin bowled a perfect first delivery to rattle his stumps. Rahane (36), who opened the innings again, and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (17) looked to steady things with the former pulling LSG debutant Matt Henry for the first six of their innings as 13 came off the over. Yash Thakur was introduced next in the attack and he justified Rahul’s decision by inducing an outside edge off Gaikwad with a length ball as the captain did the rest.
Rahane, however, carted two fours in the last two balls as CSK accumulated 13 runs in the over.
Ravindra Jadeja, promoted to no. 4, picked a boundary off Henry in the next over as CSK scored 52 for 2 in the first six overs. Owing to the slowness of the track, LSG skipper immediately introduced spinners Krunal and Bishnoi and the former struck in his second over, cleaning up Rahane.
Shivam Dube had provided the impetus in the middle overs for CSK in this IPL but he failed to fire this time with Marcus Stoinis (1/7) justifying Rahul’s decision to hand over the ball to him, striking in his first ball as the left-handed batter sliced one up in the air.
Krunal then returned to stump impact player Sameer Rizvi, who paid the price for his premeditative dance down the track as CSK lost half its side with 90 on board. Jadeja, who played some cracking sweep shots, held one end up and completed his fifty with a six off Mohsin to bring out his trademark sword-wielding celebration. Rahul’s decision to give another over to Bishnoi, however, backfired as Moeen slammed three sixes as 19 came off the 18th over before perishing.
BRIEF SCORES: CSK 176/6 in 20 overs (R Jadeja 57*) lost to LSG 180/2 in 19 overs (KL Rahul 82, Q de Kock 54)