At the halfway stage, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would have felt good about its chances after skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s unbeaten century (108 n.o., 60b, 12x4, 3x6) helped the side to 210 for four against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
But Marcus Stoinis stunned a boisterous crowd into pin-drop silence with a sensational, unbeaten 124 (63b, 13x4, 6x6) to help LSG beat the host by six wickets for the second time in four days at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.
Needing 17 off the last over, Stoinis took down Mustafirzur Rahman over long-on for a maximum before collecting a hat-trick of boundaries to seal the chase in style.
At 88 for three in 11 overs, the host held an upper hand, but Stoinis found an able ally in Nicholas Pooran, who gave the chase momentum with a 15-ball 34 (3x4, 2x6) that was filled with his trademark shots through extra cover. The duo added 70 runs off just 34 balls for the fourth wicket.
Lucknow’s chase got off poorly when Deepak Chahar bowled Quinton de Kock in the first over, but Stoinis produced a fine innings with controlled aggression, choosing his bowlers and target areas with precision.
The Australian all-rounder got going with two boundaries off Chahar and took his chances against the spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali with some clean hits down the ground. He then went after Tushar Depshande in the 13th over, hitting the pacer for a six and four as the CSK pacers struggled in dewy conditions.
Ruturaj had earlier shone on a tricky pitch with his silken touch even as other batters around him struggled. He put on a driving masterclass in the PowerPlay, collecting six boundaries — two against Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi and Matt Henry.
Later, the 27-year-old unleashed his big-hitting capabilities with pulls and powerful lofted shots down the ground. His efforts were complemented by Shivam Dube, who unleashed a barrage of sixes in his knock of 66 off just 27 balls (3x4, 7x6).
The duo added 104 runs for the fourth wicket in just 46 balls, and CSK got 125 in the last ten overs, but that was not enough against Stoinis’ rampage.
Teams:
Lucknow Super Giants: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul (wk/c), Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Matt Henry, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur.
Chennai Super Kings: Ajinkya Rahane, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Daryl Mitchell, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mustafizur Rahman, Matheesha Pathirana.
