The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) completed a famous six-wicket win over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday, April 23, in the ongoing IPL 2024.
After being asked to bat first, CSK registered 210/4 in 20 overs. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad remained unbeaten on 108 while Shivam Dube mustered 66 runs.
Marcus Stoinis stole the show with his batting exploits in the run chase, notching up a spectacular century. The all-rounder scored 124* off just 63 deliveries, helping his team clinch victory in the last-over thriller.
With 17 runs required to win in the final over, Stoinis took his team home in just three balls. Mustafizur conceded a six and a four off the first two balls. The third ball also raced away for a boundary and was also called a no-ball for overstepping.
Stoinis hit another four on the free hit. Interestingly, a fan had predicted that LSG would win with three balls to spare. The fan's prophecy went viral on social media following the result, with even the Lucknow-based franchise reacting to it.
An X (formerly Twitter) user predicted:
"210 set as target. 10 runs short. LSG will chase this with 3 balls to spare."
Reacting to the post, LSG said they will get in touch with the fan for their upcoming game.
"Will check in with you in about 3 days," LSG wrote.
With five wins from eight games, Lucknow are placed fourth in the IPL 2024 points table. They have a net run rate of 0.148.
"It was not just power hitting, it was very clever batting" - LSG skipper KL Rahul on Marcus Stoinis
Marcus Stoinis was promoted to the No. 3 spot in the LSG batting lineup against CSK. He made the most of the opportunity by delivering a scintillating 124-run knock.
Speaking about Stoinis' batting exploits, Lucknow captain KL Rahul pointed out how the batter played smart cricket, picking the right bowlers to target. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Rahul said:
"Full credit to Stoinis. It was not just power hitting, it was very clever batting. He picked his bowlers and played very well. (On sending Stoinis at 3) We felt like we needed to be braver and capitalize the powerplay and needed 1 power-hitter in the top-3. I’ve realized that T20 cricket has changed in the past couple of years, 170-180 doesn’t always cut it. You need to go harder in the powerplay and the impact player rule also gives you a bit more depth."
Lucknow will now take on the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday, April 27.
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