Chennai Super Kings (CSK) locked horns with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in match 7 of the IPL 2022 edition, at the Brabourne Stadium Mumbai, on Thursday evening (March 31). After both teams got off to a losing start, they were eager to get off the mark in the points table in the marquee face-off.
Rahul-led Lucknow won the toss and opted to bowl first. While they struggled to contain the run-flow, as CSK batters showed positive intent and went bonkers from the early stages of the innings, Lucknow batters joined the party and eventually guided the side to a stunning six-wicket win in pursuit of a mammoth 211-run target. Quinton de Kock’s 61, Evin Lewis’ 55 and Ayush Badoni’s 9-ball 19* propelled LSG to their maiden win in IPL as CSK remain winless after two games in their title-defence season.
Here’s a look at the points table after CSK-LSG encounter on Thursday:
ALSO READ | IPL 2022: CSK attain unwanted record as defending champions off to their worst-ever start in a season
At the post-match presentation, a jubilant Rahul said, “He has a big heart and he is a fighter for a young boy. It shows the character to bounce back with the wet ball. He is someone who wants to grow and learn. He spends time with the spin coach. Credit for that should go to Vijay Dahiya and GG. They were the ones who wanted him. His batting has been phenomenal. Can bowl as well. Great find for Indian cricket. You can give yourself a couple of overs. If you get a couple of boundaries then it settles the nerves. We got the start we wanted for a big chase. I told him before the first game that he will be batting at three. Doesn’t matter. Spinners or fast bowlers he knows one way. His timing has gotten a lot better. Great to see players coming in and winning games. Puts a smile on the captain’s face.”
Meanwhile, Jadeja opined, “We had a very good start, Robbie and Shivam Dube were playing brilliantly. We had a good start, but in the fielding, we have to take catches then you’ll win matches. We should have taken those chances. There was a lot of dew, the ball wasn’t sticking to the hand. Next time, we have to practise with the wet ball. We batted brilliantly in the top-six and in the middle-overs. The wicket was very good to bat on. As a bowling unit, we need to execute our plans.”
