Chennai Super Kings pulverised an indisciplined Lucknow Super Giants bowling attack to post a massive 210 for 7 after being put in to bat. And then they lost the game.
A solid 99-run opening partnership between captain KL Rahul (40) and Quinton de Kock (61) first laid the foundation for Lucknow. Following that, West Indies top-order batsman Evin Lewis’ unbeaten 23-ball 55 and young Ayush Badoni’s cameo — 19 not out off nine balls — helped them chase down the daunting 211-run target with six wickets in hand and three balls to spare.
The newcomers thus recorded their first-ever win in the IPL at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
This is the second time in this IPL and also within a week that a target in excess of 200 has been chased down successfully. It was only last Sunday when Punjab Kings overhauled Royal Challengers Bangalore’s 205 for 2 in Navi Mumbai. That the conditions were very much batsmen-friendly and the ground relatively smaller have also aided in stroke-making.
On Thursday, though, the game was still in the Super Kings’ control till the end of the 18th over as Lucknow needed 34 off the last 12 balls. But owing to captain Ravindra Jadeja’s miscalculation, Shivam Dube, more of a part-timer with the ball, had to bowl the penultimate over.
It couldn’t have been anything better for Lewis and the impressive Badoni, who greeted Dube with a huge six over deep square leg off the first ball of the over. Thereafter, the explosive Lewis pounced on the freebies dished out by Dube, smoking him for a couple of boundaries and a maximum to bring up as his half-century, which certainly was a priceless one given the situation. Plundering as many as 25 from the Dube over, Lucknow needed just 9 to get off the last six balls. Left-arm quick Mukesh Choudhary made matters worse with wides off the first two balls, before Badoni again showed his maturity to execute the right shot for another maximum and then picked up a single to seal the deal.
Bishnoi’s maturity
On a pitch with close to zero assistance for bowlers, leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi focused purely on his wrong’uns and the straighter delivery without trying to experiment much and finished with 2/24. The youngster’s bowling certainly turned out to be one of the key elements of the game as he proved he’s growing in terms of maturity.
Bishnoi first picked up the key wicket of Super Kings’ top scorer Robin Uthappa (50), whom he trapped lbw against the run of play. Thereafter, in the slog overs, he castled a set Ambati Rayudu for his second scalp.
Importantly, the Super Kings batsmen couldn’t hit even one six off his bowling.
TOP IPL CHASES
1) 224 — RR vs PBKS, Sharjah, 2020
2) 219 — MI vs CSK, Delhi, 2021
3) 215 — RR vs Deccan Chargers, Hyderabad, 2008
4) 211 — LSG vs CSK, Mumbai (BS) 2022
