Chennai Super Kings felt they had the situation under control after captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (108 not out off 60 balls) and Shivam Dube (66 off 27 balls) had set the game up for them, powering the team total to 210/4. But Marcus Stoinis’ brilliance ensured it wasn’t enough.

Playing a blinder of an innings (124 not out off 63 balls), which was as good as that of Rajasthan Royals’ Jos Buttler at the Eden last week, Stoinis too single-handedly took the Super Giants home as they chased down a daunting 211-run target with three balls to spare.

The chips were down for Lucknow Super Giants when they were three down for 88 after 11 overs, still needing 123 off just 54 balls. For Stoinis though, the game was far from over.

The dew gradually began to have its effect as the game progressed in the second half, and Stoinis got an able assist in the form of Nicholas Pooran (34 off 15 balls). The duo stitched a vital 70 for the fourth wicket in just 5.3 overs before Pooran fell to Matheesha Pathirana, who picked up his second wicket after having castled Devdutt Padikkal earlier.

Openers Quinton de Kock and captain KL Rahul also hadn’t contributed much for the Super Giants, which had made Stoinis’ job difficult in the first place. But what mattered for him was his never-say-die attitude and that was complemented by Deepak Hooda too as he chipped in with a cameo of 17 not out off only six balls.

Stoinis’ partnership with Pooran gave him the platform to launch in the death overs, while Hooda’s strokeplay took the pressure off the Australian all-rounder as he unleashed his strokes at will in the last few overs. Instead, the pressure was right back on CSK’s key bowlers Mustafizur Rahman and Pathirana, who couldn’t hold their nerves in the last 18 balls.

Despite Stoinis’ tremendous fightback, Lucknow still needed 17 off the final over. But Mustafizur floundered under pressure, bowled to Stoinis’ strength and the latter smashed him for a six and three boundaries to wrap the game up for the visitors as they registered back-to-back wins over CSK.

Earlier, the Super Kings were stuttering a little bit in the middle overs. But with a composed Gaikwad at the other end, the in-form Dube chanced his arms to perfection whenever the ball was in his arc.

Gaikwad too pressed on the accelerator and the duo hammered 104 off just 7.5 overs. In the process, Gaikwad brought up his first century of this IPL and second overall in the tournament. Yet, he couldn’t have the last laugh.