Full match report:
Chennai: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway and Moeen Ali starred for Chennai Super Kings to help the team post a 12-run win over Lucknow Super Giants at their fortress -- the M A Chidambaram stadium -- in their opening home match of the ongoing IPL here on Monday. Gaikwad slammed his second successive fifty and shared 110 runs for the opening wicket with Conway (47 off 29) as CSK posted a commanding 217 for 7 after being sent into bat.
Gaikwad, after his 92 in the opening game, smashed 57 off 31 with three fours and four sixes. Conway, who hit five boundaries and two hits over the fence, gave him good support. And then Moeen Ali returned with fine figures of 4 for 26 from his overs to help CSK restict LSG to 205 for seven. Late hitting by Nicholas Pooran (32 off 18 balls, 2x4s, 3x6s) and a furious opening assault by his fellow West Indian Kyle Mayers (53 off 22 balls, 8x4s, 2x6s) went in vain for LSG.
CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, back on home turf, made judicious use of the slow bowlers to ensure the team's first win in this year's IPL. Veteran Moeen Ali accounted for the wickets of Mayers, LSG skipper K L Rahul, Krunal Pandya and Marcus Stoinis (21) to derail LSG's chase.
Pace bowlers Deepak Chahar (4-0-55-0) and Tushar Deshpande (4-0-45-2), who came in for Ambati Rayudu as Impact Player, bowled three wides and two no-balls in his opening over, in which he conceded 18 runs, disappointed. The flamboyant Mayers and Rahul raised the team 50 in the fourth over.
Poor bowling by Chahar, Deshpande and Ben Stokes (1-0-18-0) didn't help CSK's cause as they leaked runs in the powerplay as LSG batters posted a strong riposte in pursuit of 218. Mayers hit a second consecutive fifty to provide LSG a flying start even as Rahul played second fiddle. Having reached 79 in just 5.2 overs, Mayers fell against the run of play, attempting a big hit off Moeen Ali only to be caught in the deep by Conway.
LSG lost Deepak Hooda (2) and Rahul (20), both going for big shots, quickly to slip to 82 for 3 as Ali and Mitchell Santner got into the act. Earlier, Dhoni smacked a 89-metre six and another to send the adoring Chepauk crowd into raptures.
A delirious crowd had their glimpse of 'Thala' (Dhoni) as he carted two big sixes before being dismissed going for a third off Mark Wood's bowling for 12 off 3 balls. The iconic CSK captain completed 5,000 runs in the IPL during his brief knock. After the initial blitz by Gaikwad (57 off 37 balls, 3x4s, 4x6s) and Conway (47 off 29 balls, 5x4s, 2x6s), there were valuable contributions from Shivam Dube (27 off 16 balls, 1x4, 3x6s) and Ali (19).
Ambati Rayudu hit two sixes and an equal number of fours in his 14-ball 27 which slipped under the radar due to Dhoni's pyrotechnics. Wood, who picked up five wickets in LSG's demolition of Delhi Capitals on Sunday, was not as effective and finished with 3 for 49 from his 4 overs.
LSG managed to put the brakes on the free-scoring CSK batters, thanks to a splendid spell by leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (3 for 28 in 4 overs) in the middle overs. Sent in to bat, Gaikwad and Conway creamed 79 runs in the first six overs taking full advantage of the fielding restrictions.
The stylish Gaikwad continued his form from the season opener where he hammered 92 and in the New Zealand left-hander's company brought up the team's 100 in the eighth over. Gaikwad made batting look so easy as he effortlessly lofted three sixes in Krishnappa Gowtham's opening over (5th of the innings). He continued to pile on the runs and a flick for a six off Wood underlined the supreme form he is in. The CSK openers were on a roll and brought up the 100 in the eighth over as LSG bowlers appeared clueless. (Match report taken from PTI)
IPL Scoreboard: LSG vs CSK
Lucknow Super Giants (Target: 218 runs from 20 overs)
KL Rahul c Gaikwad b Ali 20
Kyle Mayers c Conway b Ali 53
Deepak Hooda c Stokes b Santner 2
Krunal Pandya c Jadeja b Ali 9
Marcus Stoinis b Ali 21
Nicholas Pooran c Stokes b Deshpande 32
Ayush Badoni c Dhoni b Deshpande 23
Krishnappa Gowtham not out 17
Mark Wood not out 10
Extras: (LB-2 NB-3 W-13) 18
Total: (For 7 wickets in 20 overs) 205
Fall of wickets: 1/79 2/82 3/82 4/105 5/130 6/156 7/195
Bowling: Deepak Chahar 4-0-55-0, Ben Stokes 1-0-18-0, Tushar Deshpande 4-0-45-2, Moeen Ali 4-0-26-4, Mitchell Santner 4-0-21-1, Rajvardhan Hangargekar 2-0-24-0,
Ravindra Jadeja 1-0-14-0.
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Chennai: Ruturaj Gaikwad slammed his second successive fifty and shared 110 runs for the opening wicket with Devon Conway (47 off 29) as Chennai Super Kings posted a commanding 217 for 7 against Lucknow Super Giants in an IPL match, here on Monday.
Opening the innings after being sent into bat, Gaikwad, after his 92 in the opening game, smashed 57 off 31 with three fours and four sixes. Conway, who hit five boundaries and two hits over the fence, gave him good support. Spinner Ravi Bishnoi (3/28) and Mark Wood (3/49) scalped three wickets apiece for LSG.
Brief Scores:
Chennai Super Kings 217/7 in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 57, Devon Conway 47; Ravi Bishnoi 3/28, Mark Wood 3/49) vs CSK.
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- A grand opening stand by Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway has allowed the yellow army to flight their way to over 100 runs in no time. Both, undaunted, by Avesh Khan, Mark Wood, clobbering him for 15 runs, and Kyle Mayers haven't shown any discomfort yet and have got their team the boundaries with ease.
Chennai: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) won the toss and opted to field first against MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) here at MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Here's what the captains of the respective had to say:
MS Dhoni: Does mean a lot. IPL started in 2008 but we've not played a lot of cricket here. Only about 5-6 seasons we've been here. This is the first time the full stadium will be operational, a few stands were empty earlier. Really glad that we get to play all our home games here at Chepauk, means a lot. Same squad for this game. Need to keep assessing our situation and keep revisiting our targets, keep a realistic goal in mind and take it from there.
KL Rahul: We'll bowl first. We want to know what we are chasing. It was a really good performance against DC, all parts of the game we did well. We need to turn up again today andbetter those performances. Jaydev Unadkat misses out, Yash Thakur comes in. Today, we need to assess the conditions well and find the right lengths early. Get the batters out early and then hope there is a bit of dew, dew factor is always there in Chennai.
Teams:
Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): KL Rahul(c), Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran(w), Ayush Badoni, Mark Wood, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Avesh Khan
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Shivam Dube, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, RS Hangargekar
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Preview:
After losing their opening match, Chennai Super Kings will return to their den -- the MA Chidambaram stadium -- for the first home match of the season against Lucknow Super Giants here on Monday and aim to pick up a win. When Mahendra Singh Dhoni leads his team here, the four-time champion will, without a doubt, receive a rapturous welcome as CSK return to the Chepauk after nearly four years.
Despite a superb knock from the classy Ruturaj Gaikwad, the rest of the batters could not capitalise and help CSK post a big total. The team's fans will be hoping that the strong batting line-up rises to the occasion. Gaikwad toyed with the Gujarat Titans bowlers and made batting look easy. His exit slowed things down and CSK could only make a modest score, which was chased down by the defending champions.
England superstar Ben Stokes, bought for Rs 16.25 crore, would be eager to show his worth in the team's opening home game and set the pace for the long season ahead. If the batters' inability to force the pace in the middle overs is a cause for concern, the bowling could be a bigger problem.
The Titans batting line-up could not be restricted and skipper Dhoni would be expecting an improved show from the bowlers. Dhoni, who uncorked a couple of big hits against Josh Little in Ahmedabad, would be hoping the batters do better and don't leave much for him at the fag end.
He would be looking to open the points tally in front of an adoring Chepauk crowd but that would require a hugely improved performance. The comforting factor for CSK would be the return to familiar conditions at the Chidambaram stadium, where the spinners are expected to have a big say as seen in the India-Australia third ODI played here 10 days ago.
Ravindra Jadeja and Mitchell Santner did not have much of an impact in the season opener, and they will be hoping to step up in Monday's game. Also, CSK could play an additional spinner in the XI. With Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana not available for the team's first three games, it would be interesting to see who is picked to bolster the spin bowling department.
Coach Stephen Fleming said after the defeat to the Titans that the team was a "bit match underdone" and CSK would be expected to pick up steam as the tournament progresses. Up against the four-time champions are the KL Rahul-led LSG, who must have been buoyed by the comprehensive win over Delhi Capitals on Saturday night.
Kyle Mayers launched a furious assault at the top for the Super Giants and his performance would be crucial on a wicket not so conducive for over-the-top aggression. Skipper Rahul, who has been under scrutiny in recent times for an extended run of below-par scores, Nicholas Pooras and Marcus Stoinis would be the other key batters for LSG.
The pacey Mark Wood, who dented Delhi's hopes with his triple strike, will be the one CSK batters would be wary of. His searing pace could cause a few problems for the home team's strong batting unit. That apart, LSG spinners Ravi Bishnoi and K Gowtham would have a big role to play if the team hopes to keep the opposition batters in check. An interesting battle is in the offing with the bowlers holding the key to the outcome. (Preview taken from PTI)
