Right then, the CSK bowlers have done their job, and now it's up to the batters to chase down the total. On the other hand, LSG have the resources to defend this total, and their performance with the new ball will be crucial. The new ball has been the easiest time to bat and score runs, so how LSG handle that phase will be key. Back in a bit for the chase.
Ravindra Jadeja is in for a chat. He says that the wicket was very good and the ball was not gripping into the surface, so he kept on bowling the right lengths and tried to mix it up, especially with Pant over there, who can play those innovative reverse sweeps. He says he didnât do anything different and just stuck to his discipline. He adds that the outfield is quick, and LSG's batting lineup is very good, so he wanted to bowl tight lines and keep it simple. He says he might bat higher up
With Rishabh Pant struggling at the other end, LSG was in a tricky situation. However, Pant found the middle of his bat when it mattered, and Abdul Samad supported him with a couple of big strikes of his own to take LSG past 160.
Following those early setbacks, Mitchell Marsh and Rishabh Pant steadied the ship for the Super Giants. The middle overs, however, were controlled by the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Noor Ahmad, who kept LSG from gaining any real momentum. Marsh couldn't capitalize on his start, and Ayush Badoni, who had a couple of lucky breaks, also failed to make his innings count. He was initially caught, but it was ruled the third bouncer, and then given out LBW, only for replays to show he had gloved
The Lucknow Super Giants will be pleased with how they managed to find some big overs at the death. They scored 57 runs off the last 5 overs to finish with a total of 166. While this is their lowest first-innings score of the season, the surface has also proven to be challenging. Earlier, after opting to bowl first, Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj bowled with discipline and reaped the rewards in the Powerplay.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, ! TAKEN! Matheesha Pathirana ends with his second wicket! He takes pace off, full and on middle, Shardul Thakur is very early into his push and ends up chipping it to mid off. Shaik Rasheed comes forward a bit and takes a good catch. Lucknow Super Giants finishes with 166/7!
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, ! Streaky but they all count! Bangs this one into the pitch, outside off, Shardul Thakur looks to pull but gets a top edge towards the third man fence for a boundary.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, Hard length and on middle, Shardul Thakur heaves it to deep square leg for a brace.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, Slower again, back of a length but well outside off, Shardul Thakur fails to reach it. Another wide.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, No run.
Shardul Thakur is in next.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, Pitched up but down the leg again, Shardul Thakur leaves it alone. Wided.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, ! TAKEN! TWO IN TWO FOR CSK! Matheesha Pathirana bowls the slower delivery, full and on middle. Rishabh Pant stays back and looks to whip it away but goes through his shot a bit early. The ball takes the top edge and goes high up in the air behind. MS Dhoni settles under it and pouches it safely. Pant walks back after a fine 63 off 49 balls, and LSG are 158/6!
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, ! RUN OUT! A superb piece of keeping from MS Dhoni! Fuller one but down the leg side, Abdul Samad leaves it alone. Rishabh Pant wants to steal a bye but Samad reacts a bit late. Dhoni cleverly underarm throws it at the bowler's end over Samad's head who has no idea that the throw is coming at that end. The ball hits the stumps with Samad well short of his crease. LSG lose half their side now!
Direct hit from MS Dhoni!
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Fuller and outside off, Rishabh Pant does well to reach it and drills it to sweeper covers for a single.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Tries the wide yorker, but serves this almost outside the pitch, Rishabh Pant leaves it alone. He thinks it is a No Ball, but after checking the replay, the third umpire confirms that it is a wide ball since the ball landed beyond the line of the stumps.
Khaleel Ahmed to Abdul Samad, ! BOOM! 16 runs off this over, 34 in the last two! Khaleel Ahmed bowls a slower bouncer, on middle and leg. Abdul Samad picks it up early, stands tall and pulls it over the deep square leg fence for a biggie.
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, ! A good effort though!
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, A slower one, on a length and on off, Rishabh Pant shuffles across to scoop but misses.
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, ! Top shot! Pitched up and on middle, pace on and in the slot. Rishabh Pant clears his front leg away and tonks it over the long on fence for a biggie.
Khaleel Ahmed to Abdul Samad, Hard length and on off, Abdul Samad slaps it to long off for a single.
Khaleel Ahmed to Abdul Samad, Back of a length and on middle and leg Abdul Samad heaves it to deep mid-wicket for a brace.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Slower again, full and on leg, Abdul Samad looks to flick but misses as the ball goes off his pads towards square leg. A leg bye is taken. 18 runs off the over!
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Run out chance...missed! A slower one, full and on off, Rishabh Pant goes through his slog early and gets a top edge. The ball lobs up and falls in front of covers as the batters set off for one. Rahul Tripathi picks it up and has all the time to aim but misses his shy at the bowler's end. Pant gave up on that but survives.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Short of a length but down the leg side, Rishabh Pant leaves it alone. Wided.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, PANT GETS TO HIS FIFTY WITH A BANG! A gritty knock from LSG skipper but now he needs to finish well here. Matheesha Pathirana bangs this one into the pitch and around middle. Rishabh Pant gets on top of the bounce but loses his bottom hand. However, he still manages to generate enough power for it to send it over the deep mid-wicket fence for a biggie.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Overpitched and outside off, Rishabh Pant squeezes it through extra covers for a brace.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, ! That will release a bit of pressure! Fuller one and on middle, in the slot as well. Rishabh Pant stays deep in his crease and brings out the helicopter shot over the wide long on fence for a biggie.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Wayward! Full but way down the leg side, Abdul Samad leaves it alone. MS Dhoni dives to his left to make a half-stop. A single is taken and it is called a wide.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Another short delivery, on middle, Rishabh Pant pulls it wide of deep mid-wicket for a brace. An incredible spell of bowing from Noor Ahmad as he concedes just 13 runs in his 4 overs.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Drags his length back, on middle, Rishabh Pant punches it to covers.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Quicker, short and on leg, Rishabh Pant once again tries to swipe it over backward square leg but misses and gets hit on the body as the ball drops onto the pitch. MS Dhoni moves forward and flicks the ball back onto the stumps but Pant got his bat inside just in time. The replays confirm the same.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Flatter, short and on leg, angling in again, Rishabh Pant gets cramped up and stabs it to cover-point.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Arm ball, full and on middle, angling in, Rishabh Pant goes down for the sweep but misses and gets hit on the pads.
Noor Ahmad to Abdul Samad, Floated, full and on middle, Abdul Samad swipes it to deep mid-wicket for a single.
STRATEGIC BREAK!
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Short of a length and on middle, Abdul Samad pulls it to deep square leg for a run.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, ! He connects this time alright! Fuller one and just around off, Abdul Samad get right under it, extends his arms and carves it over the deep extra cover fence for a biggie.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Matheesha Pathirana bangs in a quicker bouncer, outisde off, Abdul Samad looks to pull it away but misses.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, 1 run.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Back of a length and on middle, Rishabh Pant mistimes his pull to mid-wicket. He is struggling to find the middle of the bat at the moment.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Right in the blockhole, on middle, Abdul Samad jams it out to long on for a single.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Darts one full and outside off, Rishabh Pant throws his bat at it but misses. Just 2 runs off the over. Superb stuff!
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Quicker one, short and on middle, Rishabh Pant shuffles a bit but only manages to chop it down on the pitch.
Noor Ahmad to Abdul Samad, Another wrong'un, full and on off, turns away, Abdul Samad looks to push it away but gets an outside edge along the ground wide of short third. The fielder dives to his left to make a good stop. They cross.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Flatter, full and on off, Rishabh Pant drills it to long off for a single.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, A googly now, full and on leg, turns in, Rishabh Pant uses his feet to work it away but misses and gets hit on the pads.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Noor Ahmad sees the batter back away and fires in a yorker, on off, Rishabh Pant fails to dig it out.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Short and outside off, Pant pulls it along the ground, in front off square for a single as the deep mid-wicket fielder cuts it off.
Abdul Samad is in next.
Ravindra Jadeja to Abdul Samad, Short on middle-leg, Samad works it along the ground to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, ! STUMPED! Badoni's luck has run out! Or has it? Ayush Badoni has been asked to wait. The third umpire is called into action to check whether MS Dhoni had the gloves behind the line of the stumps. The replays are in and it is touch and go. The third umpire concludes that he has no conclusive evidence that Dhoni's gloves are in the line of the stumps.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Shorter on off, Pant punches it along the ground to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, Short on off, Badoni looks to work it into the leg side, but gets a bit off an leading edge that goes along the ground to the left of the bowler. The batters are quick enough to get a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, Given LBW but successfully overturned by Ayush Badoni! For the second over in a row, CSK thought they had their man, only for it to be overturned. Speared in, at the stumps, on a nagging length, Badoni switches his stance and goes for the reverse. The ball skids through and sneaks under the blade to hit him on the front pad.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Pace taken off, on a length, on off, Pant pats it towards cover.
Matheesha Pathirana to Ayush Badoni, On off, on a length, Badoni drills it down to deep cover for a single.
Matheesha Pathirana to Ayush Badoni, No ball!
Taken at deep third by Vijay Shankar but the umpires have asked Ayush Badoni to wait as they check if it is the third bouncer of the over.
Matheesha Pathirana to Ayush Badoni, Slower short ball sliding down leg, Badoni looks to pull it behind square, but can't get any bat on it as the ball goes down the leg side to the keeper. Wide given.
Matheesha Pathirana to Ayush Badoni, Short ball just outside off, Badoni lets it go. That was well directed short ball by Pathirana.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Back of a length on off, Pant opens his bat face, as he guides the ball along the ground to deep third man for a single.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, No run.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, ! BEAUTIFUL!
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, ! ANOTHER ONE! Short on leg, Badoni hops and gets inside the line. Helps this one over deep fine leg for a six.Â
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, Six!
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, No run.
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, Bye.
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, Full on off, Badoni drives it off the front foot to the left off deep extra cover for a single.
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, Back of a length well outside off, Badoni lets it go and looks at the umpire. He thought was wide, but it wasn't.Â
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Flat and short, on off, Pant guides it straight to short third.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Was there an edge on it? Short and wide outside off, Pant goes for the cut and gets an outside edge, Dhoni fluffs it. That was quick and deflected a lot off the edge, so that wasn't an easy catch. Nonetheless it will go down as a drop.
Noor Ahmad to Ayush Badoni, 1 run.
Noor Ahmad to Ayush Badoni, No run.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Full well outside off, Pant puts his front leg across and sweeps it behind square to deep backward square leg for a single.
Noor Ahmad to Ayush Badoni, Full on leg, Badoni flicks it off the front foot to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, Pushed through, short and on off, Ayush tucks it towards mid-wicket for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, ! Up and over! Tossed up, on a nagging length, around off, Badoni steps down the track and gets to the pitch of the ball. Goes inside out over cover for a bouundary.
Ayush Badoni is the next man in.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, No run.
Ravindra Jadeja to Mitchell Marsh, BOWLED HIM!
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Short on middle, Pant sits down and sweeps this behind square to deep backward square leg for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, ! Lucky for Pant! Full and outside off, Pant goes for the sweep and gets an under edge which goes between the legs of Dhoni and runs away for a four. No chance for short fine leg to cut it off.
Strategic Break! Chennai Super Kings have done pretty well to contain the LSG batters, and the spinners will now try to create even more pressure. The duo of Rishabh Pant and Mitchell Marsh will want to extend this stand, as this is not an easy wicket to bat for the new batters. They will look to set up a platform for their power hitters to come and take them to a big score. CSK will be hoping that they can pick up a couple of wickets quickly and strengthen their grip on this game. An excitin
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Slightly fuller and slower, on middle, knocked down to long on for one.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, Fired in again, at 96.6 kph, Marsh swipes it to deep mid-wicket for one.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Flatter and shorter, on off, Pant nudges it in front of mid-wicket for a single.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, 1 run.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, No run.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, Again short, well outside off, Marsh goes for the cut, but can't get any bat on that one as he gets beaten on the under edge.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, Wide!
Spin from both ends now. Noor Ahmad has been introduced into the attack now.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Shorter in length on off, Pant defends it off the back foot. Dot to end the over.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, No run.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Four!
Ravindra Jadeja to Mitchell Marsh, Slower through the air on off, Marsh again punches this one of the back foot, in the same area, but now there is some protection there and hence he will get one.
Ravindra Jadeja to Mitchell Marsh, ! A touch fuller in length, on leg stump, Marsh makes some room and drives this off the back foot to the right off point fielder for four.
Time for some spin now as Ravindra Jadeja replaces Anshul Kamboj.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, 1 run.
Jamie Overton to Mitchell Marsh, Back of a length, just outside off, Marsh throws his hands at that one but gets an under edge which goes on the bounce to the wicket-keeper.
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, Length ball on middle-leg, Pant hops and tucks it behind square to deep fine leg for a single.
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, Short on the body, Pant ducks a bit and pulls it fine, to the left of deep fine leg, who runs to his left and cuts it off. Two runs taken.
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, ! AUDACIOUS HIT! Rishabh Pant is in the mood! Full on middle, Rishabh Pant switches his grip and reverse scoops it over deep third man for a six.
Jamie Overton to Mitchell Marsh, Fuller on middle, Marsh drives this along the ground to long on for a single.Â
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, Back of a length just outside off, Pant pulls it with ease, along the ground to deep square leg for a single.
Jamie Overton comes into the attack now.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Oh, that could have gone anywhere!
Anshul Kamboj to Rishabh Pant, Goes very full, on off, Pant taps it in front of mid off and takes a quick run.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, On middle and leg, on a good length, Marsh knocks it wide of mid on for a single.
Anshul Kamboj to Rishabh Pant, Lands it on a good length, on off, steered down to deep third for a single by Rishabh.
Anshul Kamboj to Rishabh Pant, ! Hit with real authority! On off, fuller in length, Pant picks up the length early and swats it through square leg for a boundary.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Straying on the pads, on a length, Marsh helps it off the pads but can't beat Matheesha Pathirana at a widish short fine leg. The batters cross for one.
Change? No, Anshul Kamboj also gets a third over.
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, Pitched up, on off, Rishabh eases the drive to mid off.
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, On the fifth stump line, on a good length, Pant lets it go through.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, On off, on a good length, Marsh pats it in front of cover and gets to the other end quickly.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, ! All the way! Fuller but the line stays the same, on the pads, Marsh just whips it off his pads. Gets more height than distance on it but manages to clear the deep mid-wicket fence for a six.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, ! Put away with ease! On the shorter side, too straight, on leg, Marsh pulls it behind square on the leg side and manages to beat Anshul Kamboj in the deep to his right for a boundary.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, Pushed across from over the wicket, on a back of a length, Mitchell Marsh hops and shoulders arms.
Skipper Rishabh Pant comes out to the middle with LSG in a spot of bother.
Anshul Kamboj to Nicholas Pooran, ! LBW! Excellent review and CSK have rocked LSG early here. Slanting into the left-hander from around the wicket, on middle, Pooran plays all around it as he misses the flick. Gets beaten on the inside edge and the ball hits him on the front pad. A confident shout for LBW but turned down. MS Dhoni reckons that this might slide down leg but Anshul Kamboj is convinced and eventually, MSD takes the review. There is no bat involved and the Ball Tracking s
Anshul Kamboj to Nicholas Pooran, From around the wicket, tucks the batter up for room, on off, Nicholas eases it to cover.
Anshul Kamboj to Nicholas Pooran, ! Agricultural but effective! On the fuller side, on middle and leg, Pooran swings across the line and smears it to the left of deep square leg for a boundary.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Hurls it on a good length, on top of off, Marsh pushes it in front of cover and gets to the other end.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Drags the length back, outside off, Marsh steps out and guides it to cover-point.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, ! Effortlessly done! On a length, on off, Marsh just swings through the line and does not try to overhit this one. Lofts it over mid off for a six.
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Excellent discipline so far with the new ball from CSK! In the channel on off, on a nagging length, Nicholas Pooran waits back and looks to run it down but misses.
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Pooran will feel that he missed out! Short and wide on off, there to be put away, Pooran throws his hands at the delivery but fails to connect.
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Four!
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Play and a miss! At 138.1 kph, seaming away a bit, on a good length, Pooran has a loose waft at the delivery and the ball whistles past the outside edge.
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Bashes the hard length, on off, Nicholas pats it off the back foot to point.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, On a back of a length, on middle, Marsh swivels and pulls it down to deep fine leg for a single.
Anshul Kamboj to Nicholas Pooran, A tidy first over from Kamboj! Just a single off it. On a hard length, around off, Nicholas Pooran watchully makes the leave.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, At 129.7 kph, slanting in, on a good length, on middle, the ball stops in the surface and Marsh pushes a bit early. Plays it towards mid on and takes a quick single.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Brings the line closer to the batter, on a good length, Marsh steers it from the crease to point.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Third leave in a row! On the fuller side, swinging awasy from the right-hander, Marsh takes a step down the track and decides to leave the ball alone.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, In the channel on off, on a good length, Mitchell Marsh shoulders arms.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Lands it on a back of a length, in the corridor of off, Marsh is happy to let it go.
Nicholas Pooran walks out to bat at number 3.
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, ! IN THE AIR AND GONE! Excellent running catch from Rahul Tripathi in his 100th IPL game!
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, Short and wide on off, Aiden Markram frees his arms and cuts it along the ground to the left of deep point. Rachin Ravindra is quick across the turf in the deep and cuts it off with a dive. Saves two runs for his side, does Rachin.
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, Corrects the line, on middle, on a hard length, Markram stabs it down the deck off the back foot.
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, ! Aiden Markram and Lucknow Super Giants are underway! Width offered by Ahmed, on a short of a length, Aiden gets on top of the bounce and punches it along the ground through covers for a boundary.
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, No run.
All in readiness! The two umpires walk out to the middle, followed by the Chennai Super Kings players, who spread out to take their respective field positions. Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh are the two openers for Lucknow Super Giants. Khaleel Ahmed has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Let's play...
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, Khaleel is right on the money! Lands it on a good length, on middle and leg, Aiden Markram gets right behind the line and solidly defends.
Rishabh Pant, the captain of Lucknow Super Giants, says he would have bowled first as in Lucknow, the pitch plays on the slower side in the first innings and then starts getting quicker in the 2nd innings. He says they have talked about not giving a team like CSK any window to get into the game and keep them down and try to put in 100 percent. He says they wonât be thinking about the crowd, which is heavily in favour of CSK. Mentions that they want to play good cricket and stick to it. He co
The captain of the Chennai Super Kings, MS Dhoni, says that they will bowl first. Adds that there is a possibility of dew later in the evening. Mentions that the wicket tends to play better in the second half, and they are banking on that factor to work in their favour. Shares that he feels blessed to have such unwavering support at every venue and expresses gratitude to the fans for their continued backing. He also acknowledges that batting is an area where they havenât been consistent, and
Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI) - Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant (C/WK), David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh.
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI) - Shaik Rasheed, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni (C/WK), Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana.
Impact Players for Lucknow Super Giants - Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Shahbaz Ahamad, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh.
Impact Players for Chennai Super Kings - Shivam Dube, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Sam Curran, Deepak Hooda.
TOSS - The coin lands in favour of MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings have elected to BOWL first.
All in readiness for the chase to kick off.
... THE RUN CHASE ...
Right then, the CSK bowlers have done their job, and now it's up to the batters to chase down the total. On the other hand, LSG have the resources to defend this total, and their performance with the new ball will be crucial. The new ball has been the easiest time to bat and score runs, so how LSG handle that phase will be key. Back in a bit for the chase.
Ravindra Jadeja is in for a chat. He says that the wicket was very good and the ball was not gripping into the surface, so he kept on bowling the right lengths and tried to mix it up, especially with Pant over there, who can play those innovative reverse sweeps. He says he didnât do anything different and just stuck to his discipline. He adds that the outfield is quick, and LSG's batting lineup is very good, so he wanted to bowl tight lines and keep it simple. He says he might bat higher up
With Rishabh Pant struggling at the other end, LSG was in a tricky situation. However, Pant found the middle of his bat when it mattered, and Abdul Samad supported him with a couple of big strikes of his own to take LSG past 160.
Following those early setbacks, Mitchell Marsh and Rishabh Pant steadied the ship for the Super Giants. The middle overs, however, were controlled by the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Noor Ahmad, who kept LSG from gaining any real momentum. Marsh couldn't capitalize on his start, and Ayush Badoni, who had a couple of lucky breaks, also failed to make his innings count. He was initially caught, but it was ruled the third bouncer, and then given out LBW, only for replays to show he had gloved
The Lucknow Super Giants will be pleased with how they managed to find some big overs at the death. They scored 57 runs off the last 5 overs to finish with a total of 166. While this is their lowest first-innings score of the season, the surface has also proven to be challenging. Earlier, after opting to bowl first, Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj bowled with discipline and reaped the rewards in the Powerplay.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, ! TAKEN! Matheesha Pathirana ends with his second wicket! He takes pace off, full and on middle, Shardul Thakur is very early into his push and ends up chipping it to mid off. Shaik Rasheed comes forward a bit and takes a good catch. Lucknow Super Giants finishes with 166/7!
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, ! Streaky but they all count! Bangs this one into the pitch, outside off, Shardul Thakur looks to pull but gets a top edge towards the third man fence for a boundary.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, Hard length and on middle, Shardul Thakur heaves it to deep square leg for a brace.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, Slower again, back of a length but well outside off, Shardul Thakur fails to reach it. Another wide.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, No run.
Shardul Thakur is in next.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, Pitched up but down the leg again, Shardul Thakur leaves it alone. Wided.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, ! TAKEN! TWO IN TWO FOR CSK! Matheesha Pathirana bowls the slower delivery, full and on middle. Rishabh Pant stays back and looks to whip it away but goes through his shot a bit early. The ball takes the top edge and goes high up in the air behind. MS Dhoni settles under it and pouches it safely. Pant walks back after a fine 63 off 49 balls, and LSG are 158/6!
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, ! RUN OUT! A superb piece of keeping from MS Dhoni! Fuller one but down the leg side, Abdul Samad leaves it alone. Rishabh Pant wants to steal a bye but Samad reacts a bit late. Dhoni cleverly underarm throws it at the bowler's end over Samad's head who has no idea that the throw is coming at that end. The ball hits the stumps with Samad well short of his crease. LSG lose half their side now!
Direct hit from MS Dhoni!
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Fuller and outside off, Rishabh Pant does well to reach it and drills it to sweeper covers for a single.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Tries the wide yorker, but serves this almost outside the pitch, Rishabh Pant leaves it alone. He thinks it is a No Ball, but after checking the replay, the third umpire confirms that it is a wide ball since the ball landed beyond the line of the stumps.
Khaleel Ahmed to Abdul Samad, ! BOOM! 16 runs off this over, 34 in the last two! Khaleel Ahmed bowls a slower bouncer, on middle and leg. Abdul Samad picks it up early, stands tall and pulls it over the deep square leg fence for a biggie.
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, ! A good effort though!
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, A slower one, on a length and on off, Rishabh Pant shuffles across to scoop but misses.
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, ! Top shot! Pitched up and on middle, pace on and in the slot. Rishabh Pant clears his front leg away and tonks it over the long on fence for a biggie.
Khaleel Ahmed to Abdul Samad, Hard length and on off, Abdul Samad slaps it to long off for a single.
Khaleel Ahmed to Abdul Samad, Back of a length and on middle and leg Abdul Samad heaves it to deep mid-wicket for a brace.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Slower again, full and on leg, Abdul Samad looks to flick but misses as the ball goes off his pads towards square leg. A leg bye is taken. 18 runs off the over!
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Run out chance...missed! A slower one, full and on off, Rishabh Pant goes through his slog early and gets a top edge. The ball lobs up and falls in front of covers as the batters set off for one. Rahul Tripathi picks it up and has all the time to aim but misses his shy at the bowler's end. Pant gave up on that but survives.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Short of a length but down the leg side, Rishabh Pant leaves it alone. Wided.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, PANT GETS TO HIS FIFTY WITH A BANG! A gritty knock from LSG skipper but now he needs to finish well here. Matheesha Pathirana bangs this one into the pitch and around middle. Rishabh Pant gets on top of the bounce but loses his bottom hand. However, he still manages to generate enough power for it to send it over the deep mid-wicket fence for a biggie.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Overpitched and outside off, Rishabh Pant squeezes it through extra covers for a brace.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, ! That will release a bit of pressure! Fuller one and on middle, in the slot as well. Rishabh Pant stays deep in his crease and brings out the helicopter shot over the wide long on fence for a biggie.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Wayward! Full but way down the leg side, Abdul Samad leaves it alone. MS Dhoni dives to his left to make a half-stop. A single is taken and it is called a wide.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Another short delivery, on middle, Rishabh Pant pulls it wide of deep mid-wicket for a brace. An incredible spell of bowing from Noor Ahmad as he concedes just 13 runs in his 4 overs.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Drags his length back, on middle, Rishabh Pant punches it to covers.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Quicker, short and on leg, Rishabh Pant once again tries to swipe it over backward square leg but misses and gets hit on the body as the ball drops onto the pitch. MS Dhoni moves forward and flicks the ball back onto the stumps but Pant got his bat inside just in time. The replays confirm the same.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Flatter, short and on leg, angling in again, Rishabh Pant gets cramped up and stabs it to cover-point.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Arm ball, full and on middle, angling in, Rishabh Pant goes down for the sweep but misses and gets hit on the pads.
Noor Ahmad to Abdul Samad, Floated, full and on middle, Abdul Samad swipes it to deep mid-wicket for a single.
STRATEGIC BREAK!
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Short of a length and on middle, Abdul Samad pulls it to deep square leg for a run.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, ! He connects this time alright! Fuller one and just around off, Abdul Samad get right under it, extends his arms and carves it over the deep extra cover fence for a biggie.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Matheesha Pathirana bangs in a quicker bouncer, outisde off, Abdul Samad looks to pull it away but misses.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, 1 run.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Back of a length and on middle, Rishabh Pant mistimes his pull to mid-wicket. He is struggling to find the middle of the bat at the moment.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Right in the blockhole, on middle, Abdul Samad jams it out to long on for a single.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Darts one full and outside off, Rishabh Pant throws his bat at it but misses. Just 2 runs off the over. Superb stuff!
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Quicker one, short and on middle, Rishabh Pant shuffles a bit but only manages to chop it down on the pitch.
Noor Ahmad to Abdul Samad, Another wrong'un, full and on off, turns away, Abdul Samad looks to push it away but gets an outside edge along the ground wide of short third. The fielder dives to his left to make a good stop. They cross.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Flatter, full and on off, Rishabh Pant drills it to long off for a single.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, A googly now, full and on leg, turns in, Rishabh Pant uses his feet to work it away but misses and gets hit on the pads.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Noor Ahmad sees the batter back away and fires in a yorker, on off, Rishabh Pant fails to dig it out.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Short and outside off, Pant pulls it along the ground, in front off square for a single as the deep mid-wicket fielder cuts it off.
Abdul Samad is in next.
Ravindra Jadeja to Abdul Samad, Short on middle-leg, Samad works it along the ground to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, ! STUMPED! Badoni's luck has run out! Or has it? Ayush Badoni has been asked to wait. The third umpire is called into action to check whether MS Dhoni had the gloves behind the line of the stumps. The replays are in and it is touch and go. The third umpire concludes that he has no conclusive evidence that Dhoni's gloves are in the line of the stumps.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Shorter on off, Pant punches it along the ground to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, Short on off, Badoni looks to work it into the leg side, but gets a bit off an leading edge that goes along the ground to the left of the bowler. The batters are quick enough to get a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, Given LBW but successfully overturned by Ayush Badoni! For the second over in a row, CSK thought they had their man, only for it to be overturned. Speared in, at the stumps, on a nagging length, Badoni switches his stance and goes for the reverse. The ball skids through and sneaks under the blade to hit him on the front pad.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Pace taken off, on a length, on off, Pant pats it towards cover.
Matheesha Pathirana to Ayush Badoni, On off, on a length, Badoni drills it down to deep cover for a single.
Matheesha Pathirana to Ayush Badoni, No ball!
Taken at deep third by Vijay Shankar but the umpires have asked Ayush Badoni to wait as they check if it is the third bouncer of the over.
Matheesha Pathirana to Ayush Badoni, Slower short ball sliding down leg, Badoni looks to pull it behind square, but can't get any bat on it as the ball goes down the leg side to the keeper. Wide given.
Matheesha Pathirana to Ayush Badoni, Short ball just outside off, Badoni lets it go. That was well directed short ball by Pathirana.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Back of a length on off, Pant opens his bat face, as he guides the ball along the ground to deep third man for a single.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, No run.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, ! BEAUTIFUL!
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, ! ANOTHER ONE! Short on leg, Badoni hops and gets inside the line. Helps this one over deep fine leg for a six.Â
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, Six!
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, No run.
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, Bye.
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, Full on off, Badoni drives it off the front foot to the left off deep extra cover for a single.
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, Back of a length well outside off, Badoni lets it go and looks at the umpire. He thought was wide, but it wasn't.Â
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Flat and short, on off, Pant guides it straight to short third.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Was there an edge on it? Short and wide outside off, Pant goes for the cut and gets an outside edge, Dhoni fluffs it. That was quick and deflected a lot off the edge, so that wasn't an easy catch. Nonetheless it will go down as a drop.
Noor Ahmad to Ayush Badoni, 1 run.
Noor Ahmad to Ayush Badoni, No run.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Full well outside off, Pant puts his front leg across and sweeps it behind square to deep backward square leg for a single.
Noor Ahmad to Ayush Badoni, Full on leg, Badoni flicks it off the front foot to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, Pushed through, short and on off, Ayush tucks it towards mid-wicket for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, ! Up and over! Tossed up, on a nagging length, around off, Badoni steps down the track and gets to the pitch of the ball. Goes inside out over cover for a bouundary.
Ayush Badoni is the next man in.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, No run.
Ravindra Jadeja to Mitchell Marsh, BOWLED HIM!
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Short on middle, Pant sits down and sweeps this behind square to deep backward square leg for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, ! Lucky for Pant! Full and outside off, Pant goes for the sweep and gets an under edge which goes between the legs of Dhoni and runs away for a four. No chance for short fine leg to cut it off.
Strategic Break! Chennai Super Kings have done pretty well to contain the LSG batters, and the spinners will now try to create even more pressure. The duo of Rishabh Pant and Mitchell Marsh will want to extend this stand, as this is not an easy wicket to bat for the new batters. They will look to set up a platform for their power hitters to come and take them to a big score. CSK will be hoping that they can pick up a couple of wickets quickly and strengthen their grip on this game. An excitin
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Slightly fuller and slower, on middle, knocked down to long on for one.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, Fired in again, at 96.6 kph, Marsh swipes it to deep mid-wicket for one.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Flatter and shorter, on off, Pant nudges it in front of mid-wicket for a single.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, 1 run.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, No run.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, Again short, well outside off, Marsh goes for the cut, but can't get any bat on that one as he gets beaten on the under edge.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, Wide!
Spin from both ends now. Noor Ahmad has been introduced into the attack now.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Shorter in length on off, Pant defends it off the back foot. Dot to end the over.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, No run.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Four!
Ravindra Jadeja to Mitchell Marsh, Slower through the air on off, Marsh again punches this one of the back foot, in the same area, but now there is some protection there and hence he will get one.
Ravindra Jadeja to Mitchell Marsh, ! A touch fuller in length, on leg stump, Marsh makes some room and drives this off the back foot to the right off point fielder for four.
Time for some spin now as Ravindra Jadeja replaces Anshul Kamboj.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, 1 run.
Jamie Overton to Mitchell Marsh, Back of a length, just outside off, Marsh throws his hands at that one but gets an under edge which goes on the bounce to the wicket-keeper.
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, Length ball on middle-leg, Pant hops and tucks it behind square to deep fine leg for a single.
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, Short on the body, Pant ducks a bit and pulls it fine, to the left of deep fine leg, who runs to his left and cuts it off. Two runs taken.
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, ! AUDACIOUS HIT! Rishabh Pant is in the mood! Full on middle, Rishabh Pant switches his grip and reverse scoops it over deep third man for a six.
Jamie Overton to Mitchell Marsh, Fuller on middle, Marsh drives this along the ground to long on for a single.Â
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, Back of a length just outside off, Pant pulls it with ease, along the ground to deep square leg for a single.
Jamie Overton comes into the attack now.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Oh, that could have gone anywhere!
Anshul Kamboj to Rishabh Pant, Goes very full, on off, Pant taps it in front of mid off and takes a quick run.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, On middle and leg, on a good length, Marsh knocks it wide of mid on for a single.
Anshul Kamboj to Rishabh Pant, Lands it on a good length, on off, steered down to deep third for a single by Rishabh.
Anshul Kamboj to Rishabh Pant, ! Hit with real authority! On off, fuller in length, Pant picks up the length early and swats it through square leg for a boundary.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Straying on the pads, on a length, Marsh helps it off the pads but can't beat Matheesha Pathirana at a widish short fine leg. The batters cross for one.
Change? No, Anshul Kamboj also gets a third over.
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, Pitched up, on off, Rishabh eases the drive to mid off.
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, On the fifth stump line, on a good length, Pant lets it go through.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, On off, on a good length, Marsh pats it in front of cover and gets to the other end quickly.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, ! All the way! Fuller but the line stays the same, on the pads, Marsh just whips it off his pads. Gets more height than distance on it but manages to clear the deep mid-wicket fence for a six.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, ! Put away with ease! On the shorter side, too straight, on leg, Marsh pulls it behind square on the leg side and manages to beat Anshul Kamboj in the deep to his right for a boundary.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, Pushed across from over the wicket, on a back of a length, Mitchell Marsh hops and shoulders arms.
Skipper Rishabh Pant comes out to the middle with LSG in a spot of bother.
Anshul Kamboj to Nicholas Pooran, ! LBW! Excellent review and CSK have rocked LSG early here. Slanting into the left-hander from around the wicket, on middle, Pooran plays all around it as he misses the flick. Gets beaten on the inside edge and the ball hits him on the front pad. A confident shout for LBW but turned down. MS Dhoni reckons that this might slide down leg but Anshul Kamboj is convinced and eventually, MSD takes the review. There is no bat involved and the Ball Tracking s
Anshul Kamboj to Nicholas Pooran, From around the wicket, tucks the batter up for room, on off, Nicholas eases it to cover.
Anshul Kamboj to Nicholas Pooran, ! Agricultural but effective! On the fuller side, on middle and leg, Pooran swings across the line and smears it to the left of deep square leg for a boundary.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Hurls it on a good length, on top of off, Marsh pushes it in front of cover and gets to the other end.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Drags the length back, outside off, Marsh steps out and guides it to cover-point.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, ! Effortlessly done! On a length, on off, Marsh just swings through the line and does not try to overhit this one. Lofts it over mid off for a six.
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Excellent discipline so far with the new ball from CSK! In the channel on off, on a nagging length, Nicholas Pooran waits back and looks to run it down but misses.
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Pooran will feel that he missed out! Short and wide on off, there to be put away, Pooran throws his hands at the delivery but fails to connect.
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Four!
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Play and a miss! At 138.1 kph, seaming away a bit, on a good length, Pooran has a loose waft at the delivery and the ball whistles past the outside edge.
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Bashes the hard length, on off, Nicholas pats it off the back foot to point.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, On a back of a length, on middle, Marsh swivels and pulls it down to deep fine leg for a single.
Anshul Kamboj to Nicholas Pooran, A tidy first over from Kamboj! Just a single off it. On a hard length, around off, Nicholas Pooran watchully makes the leave.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, At 129.7 kph, slanting in, on a good length, on middle, the ball stops in the surface and Marsh pushes a bit early. Plays it towards mid on and takes a quick single.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Brings the line closer to the batter, on a good length, Marsh steers it from the crease to point.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Third leave in a row! On the fuller side, swinging awasy from the right-hander, Marsh takes a step down the track and decides to leave the ball alone.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, In the channel on off, on a good length, Mitchell Marsh shoulders arms.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Lands it on a back of a length, in the corridor of off, Marsh is happy to let it go.
Nicholas Pooran walks out to bat at number 3.
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, ! IN THE AIR AND GONE! Excellent running catch from Rahul Tripathi in his 100th IPL game!
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, Short and wide on off, Aiden Markram frees his arms and cuts it along the ground to the left of deep point. Rachin Ravindra is quick across the turf in the deep and cuts it off with a dive. Saves two runs for his side, does Rachin.
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, Corrects the line, on middle, on a hard length, Markram stabs it down the deck off the back foot.
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, ! Aiden Markram and Lucknow Super Giants are underway! Width offered by Ahmed, on a short of a length, Aiden gets on top of the bounce and punches it along the ground through covers for a boundary.
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, No run.
All in readiness! The two umpires walk out to the middle, followed by the Chennai Super Kings players, who spread out to take their respective field positions. Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh are the two openers for Lucknow Super Giants. Khaleel Ahmed has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Let's play...
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, Khaleel is right on the money! Lands it on a good length, on middle and leg, Aiden Markram gets right behind the line and solidly defends.
Rishabh Pant, the captain of Lucknow Super Giants, says he would have bowled first as in Lucknow, the pitch plays on the slower side in the first innings and then starts getting quicker in the 2nd innings. He says they have talked about not giving a team like CSK any window to get into the game and keep them down and try to put in 100 percent. He says they wonât be thinking about the crowd, which is heavily in favour of CSK. Mentions that they want to play good cricket and stick to it. He co
The captain of the Chennai Super Kings, MS Dhoni, says that they will bowl first. Adds that there is a possibility of dew later in the evening. Mentions that the wicket tends to play better in the second half, and they are banking on that factor to work in their favour. Shares that he feels blessed to have such unwavering support at every venue and expresses gratitude to the fans for their continued backing. He also acknowledges that batting is an area where they havenât been consistent, and
Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI) - Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant (C/WK), David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh.
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI) - Shaik Rasheed, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni (C/WK), Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana.
Impact Players for Lucknow Super Giants - Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Shahbaz Ahamad, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh.
Impact Players for Chennai Super Kings - Shivam Dube, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Sam Curran, Deepak Hooda.
TOSS - The coin lands in favour of MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings have elected to BOWL first.
Newsletter
Chennai Super Kings
168/5(19.3 Overs)
All in readiness for the chase to kick off.
... THE RUN CHASE ...
Right then, the CSK bowlers have done their job, and now it's up to the batters to chase down the total. On the other hand, LSG have the resources to defend this total, and their performance with the new ball will be crucial. The new ball has been the easiest time to bat and score runs, so how LSG handle that phase will be key. Back in a bit for the chase.
Ravindra Jadeja is in for a chat. He says that the wicket was very good and the ball was not gripping into the surface, so he kept on bowling the right lengths and tried to mix it up, especially with Pant over there, who can play those innovative reverse sweeps. He says he didnât do anything different and just stuck to his discipline. He adds that the outfield is quick, and LSG's batting lineup is very good, so he wanted to bowl tight lines and keep it simple. He says he might bat higher up
With Rishabh Pant struggling at the other end, LSG was in a tricky situation. However, Pant found the middle of his bat when it mattered, and Abdul Samad supported him with a couple of big strikes of his own to take LSG past 160.
Following those early setbacks, Mitchell Marsh and Rishabh Pant steadied the ship for the Super Giants. The middle overs, however, were controlled by the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Noor Ahmad, who kept LSG from gaining any real momentum. Marsh couldn't capitalize on his start, and Ayush Badoni, who had a couple of lucky breaks, also failed to make his innings count. He was initially caught, but it was ruled the third bouncer, and then given out LBW, only for replays to show he had gloved
The Lucknow Super Giants will be pleased with how they managed to find some big overs at the death. They scored 57 runs off the last 5 overs to finish with a total of 166. While this is their lowest first-innings score of the season, the surface has also proven to be challenging. Earlier, after opting to bowl first, Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj bowled with discipline and reaped the rewards in the Powerplay.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, ! TAKEN! Matheesha Pathirana ends with his second wicket! He takes pace off, full and on middle, Shardul Thakur is very early into his push and ends up chipping it to mid off. Shaik Rasheed comes forward a bit and takes a good catch. Lucknow Super Giants finishes with 166/7!
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, ! Streaky but they all count! Bangs this one into the pitch, outside off, Shardul Thakur looks to pull but gets a top edge towards the third man fence for a boundary.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, Hard length and on middle, Shardul Thakur heaves it to deep square leg for a brace.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, Slower again, back of a length but well outside off, Shardul Thakur fails to reach it. Another wide.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, No run.
Shardul Thakur is in next.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, Pitched up but down the leg again, Shardul Thakur leaves it alone. Wided.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, ! TAKEN! TWO IN TWO FOR CSK! Matheesha Pathirana bowls the slower delivery, full and on middle. Rishabh Pant stays back and looks to whip it away but goes through his shot a bit early. The ball takes the top edge and goes high up in the air behind. MS Dhoni settles under it and pouches it safely. Pant walks back after a fine 63 off 49 balls, and LSG are 158/6!
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, ! RUN OUT! A superb piece of keeping from MS Dhoni! Fuller one but down the leg side, Abdul Samad leaves it alone. Rishabh Pant wants to steal a bye but Samad reacts a bit late. Dhoni cleverly underarm throws it at the bowler's end over Samad's head who has no idea that the throw is coming at that end. The ball hits the stumps with Samad well short of his crease. LSG lose half their side now!
Direct hit from MS Dhoni!
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Fuller and outside off, Rishabh Pant does well to reach it and drills it to sweeper covers for a single.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Tries the wide yorker, but serves this almost outside the pitch, Rishabh Pant leaves it alone. He thinks it is a No Ball, but after checking the replay, the third umpire confirms that it is a wide ball since the ball landed beyond the line of the stumps.
Khaleel Ahmed to Abdul Samad, ! BOOM! 16 runs off this over, 34 in the last two! Khaleel Ahmed bowls a slower bouncer, on middle and leg. Abdul Samad picks it up early, stands tall and pulls it over the deep square leg fence for a biggie.
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, ! A good effort though!
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, A slower one, on a length and on off, Rishabh Pant shuffles across to scoop but misses.
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, ! Top shot! Pitched up and on middle, pace on and in the slot. Rishabh Pant clears his front leg away and tonks it over the long on fence for a biggie.
Khaleel Ahmed to Abdul Samad, Hard length and on off, Abdul Samad slaps it to long off for a single.
Khaleel Ahmed to Abdul Samad, Back of a length and on middle and leg Abdul Samad heaves it to deep mid-wicket for a brace.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Slower again, full and on leg, Abdul Samad looks to flick but misses as the ball goes off his pads towards square leg. A leg bye is taken. 18 runs off the over!
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Run out chance...missed! A slower one, full and on off, Rishabh Pant goes through his slog early and gets a top edge. The ball lobs up and falls in front of covers as the batters set off for one. Rahul Tripathi picks it up and has all the time to aim but misses his shy at the bowler's end. Pant gave up on that but survives.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Short of a length but down the leg side, Rishabh Pant leaves it alone. Wided.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, PANT GETS TO HIS FIFTY WITH A BANG! A gritty knock from LSG skipper but now he needs to finish well here. Matheesha Pathirana bangs this one into the pitch and around middle. Rishabh Pant gets on top of the bounce but loses his bottom hand. However, he still manages to generate enough power for it to send it over the deep mid-wicket fence for a biggie.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Overpitched and outside off, Rishabh Pant squeezes it through extra covers for a brace.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, ! That will release a bit of pressure! Fuller one and on middle, in the slot as well. Rishabh Pant stays deep in his crease and brings out the helicopter shot over the wide long on fence for a biggie.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Wayward! Full but way down the leg side, Abdul Samad leaves it alone. MS Dhoni dives to his left to make a half-stop. A single is taken and it is called a wide.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Another short delivery, on middle, Rishabh Pant pulls it wide of deep mid-wicket for a brace. An incredible spell of bowing from Noor Ahmad as he concedes just 13 runs in his 4 overs.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Drags his length back, on middle, Rishabh Pant punches it to covers.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Quicker, short and on leg, Rishabh Pant once again tries to swipe it over backward square leg but misses and gets hit on the body as the ball drops onto the pitch. MS Dhoni moves forward and flicks the ball back onto the stumps but Pant got his bat inside just in time. The replays confirm the same.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Flatter, short and on leg, angling in again, Rishabh Pant gets cramped up and stabs it to cover-point.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Arm ball, full and on middle, angling in, Rishabh Pant goes down for the sweep but misses and gets hit on the pads.
Noor Ahmad to Abdul Samad, Floated, full and on middle, Abdul Samad swipes it to deep mid-wicket for a single.
STRATEGIC BREAK!
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Short of a length and on middle, Abdul Samad pulls it to deep square leg for a run.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, ! He connects this time alright! Fuller one and just around off, Abdul Samad get right under it, extends his arms and carves it over the deep extra cover fence for a biggie.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Matheesha Pathirana bangs in a quicker bouncer, outisde off, Abdul Samad looks to pull it away but misses.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, 1 run.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Back of a length and on middle, Rishabh Pant mistimes his pull to mid-wicket. He is struggling to find the middle of the bat at the moment.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Right in the blockhole, on middle, Abdul Samad jams it out to long on for a single.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Darts one full and outside off, Rishabh Pant throws his bat at it but misses. Just 2 runs off the over. Superb stuff!
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Quicker one, short and on middle, Rishabh Pant shuffles a bit but only manages to chop it down on the pitch.
Noor Ahmad to Abdul Samad, Another wrong'un, full and on off, turns away, Abdul Samad looks to push it away but gets an outside edge along the ground wide of short third. The fielder dives to his left to make a good stop. They cross.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Flatter, full and on off, Rishabh Pant drills it to long off for a single.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, A googly now, full and on leg, turns in, Rishabh Pant uses his feet to work it away but misses and gets hit on the pads.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Noor Ahmad sees the batter back away and fires in a yorker, on off, Rishabh Pant fails to dig it out.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Short and outside off, Pant pulls it along the ground, in front off square for a single as the deep mid-wicket fielder cuts it off.
Abdul Samad is in next.
Ravindra Jadeja to Abdul Samad, Short on middle-leg, Samad works it along the ground to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, ! STUMPED! Badoni's luck has run out! Or has it? Ayush Badoni has been asked to wait. The third umpire is called into action to check whether MS Dhoni had the gloves behind the line of the stumps. The replays are in and it is touch and go. The third umpire concludes that he has no conclusive evidence that Dhoni's gloves are in the line of the stumps.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Shorter on off, Pant punches it along the ground to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, Short on off, Badoni looks to work it into the leg side, but gets a bit off an leading edge that goes along the ground to the left of the bowler. The batters are quick enough to get a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, Given LBW but successfully overturned by Ayush Badoni! For the second over in a row, CSK thought they had their man, only for it to be overturned. Speared in, at the stumps, on a nagging length, Badoni switches his stance and goes for the reverse. The ball skids through and sneaks under the blade to hit him on the front pad.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Pace taken off, on a length, on off, Pant pats it towards cover.
Matheesha Pathirana to Ayush Badoni, On off, on a length, Badoni drills it down to deep cover for a single.
Matheesha Pathirana to Ayush Badoni, No ball!
Taken at deep third by Vijay Shankar but the umpires have asked Ayush Badoni to wait as they check if it is the third bouncer of the over.
Matheesha Pathirana to Ayush Badoni, Slower short ball sliding down leg, Badoni looks to pull it behind square, but can't get any bat on it as the ball goes down the leg side to the keeper. Wide given.
Matheesha Pathirana to Ayush Badoni, Short ball just outside off, Badoni lets it go. That was well directed short ball by Pathirana.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Back of a length on off, Pant opens his bat face, as he guides the ball along the ground to deep third man for a single.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, No run.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, ! BEAUTIFUL!
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, ! ANOTHER ONE! Short on leg, Badoni hops and gets inside the line. Helps this one over deep fine leg for a six.Â
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, Six!
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, No run.
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, Bye.
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, Full on off, Badoni drives it off the front foot to the left off deep extra cover for a single.
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, Back of a length well outside off, Badoni lets it go and looks at the umpire. He thought was wide, but it wasn't.Â
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Flat and short, on off, Pant guides it straight to short third.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Was there an edge on it? Short and wide outside off, Pant goes for the cut and gets an outside edge, Dhoni fluffs it. That was quick and deflected a lot off the edge, so that wasn't an easy catch. Nonetheless it will go down as a drop.
Noor Ahmad to Ayush Badoni, 1 run.
Noor Ahmad to Ayush Badoni, No run.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Full well outside off, Pant puts his front leg across and sweeps it behind square to deep backward square leg for a single.
Noor Ahmad to Ayush Badoni, Full on leg, Badoni flicks it off the front foot to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, Pushed through, short and on off, Ayush tucks it towards mid-wicket for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, ! Up and over! Tossed up, on a nagging length, around off, Badoni steps down the track and gets to the pitch of the ball. Goes inside out over cover for a bouundary.
Ayush Badoni is the next man in.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, No run.
Ravindra Jadeja to Mitchell Marsh, BOWLED HIM!
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Short on middle, Pant sits down and sweeps this behind square to deep backward square leg for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, ! Lucky for Pant! Full and outside off, Pant goes for the sweep and gets an under edge which goes between the legs of Dhoni and runs away for a four. No chance for short fine leg to cut it off.
Strategic Break! Chennai Super Kings have done pretty well to contain the LSG batters, and the spinners will now try to create even more pressure. The duo of Rishabh Pant and Mitchell Marsh will want to extend this stand, as this is not an easy wicket to bat for the new batters. They will look to set up a platform for their power hitters to come and take them to a big score. CSK will be hoping that they can pick up a couple of wickets quickly and strengthen their grip on this game. An excitin
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Slightly fuller and slower, on middle, knocked down to long on for one.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, Fired in again, at 96.6 kph, Marsh swipes it to deep mid-wicket for one.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Flatter and shorter, on off, Pant nudges it in front of mid-wicket for a single.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, 1 run.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, No run.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, Again short, well outside off, Marsh goes for the cut, but can't get any bat on that one as he gets beaten on the under edge.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, Wide!
Spin from both ends now. Noor Ahmad has been introduced into the attack now.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Shorter in length on off, Pant defends it off the back foot. Dot to end the over.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, No run.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Four!
Ravindra Jadeja to Mitchell Marsh, Slower through the air on off, Marsh again punches this one of the back foot, in the same area, but now there is some protection there and hence he will get one.
Ravindra Jadeja to Mitchell Marsh, ! A touch fuller in length, on leg stump, Marsh makes some room and drives this off the back foot to the right off point fielder for four.
Time for some spin now as Ravindra Jadeja replaces Anshul Kamboj.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, 1 run.
Jamie Overton to Mitchell Marsh, Back of a length, just outside off, Marsh throws his hands at that one but gets an under edge which goes on the bounce to the wicket-keeper.
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, Length ball on middle-leg, Pant hops and tucks it behind square to deep fine leg for a single.
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, Short on the body, Pant ducks a bit and pulls it fine, to the left of deep fine leg, who runs to his left and cuts it off. Two runs taken.
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, ! AUDACIOUS HIT! Rishabh Pant is in the mood! Full on middle, Rishabh Pant switches his grip and reverse scoops it over deep third man for a six.
Jamie Overton to Mitchell Marsh, Fuller on middle, Marsh drives this along the ground to long on for a single.Â
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, Back of a length just outside off, Pant pulls it with ease, along the ground to deep square leg for a single.
Jamie Overton comes into the attack now.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Oh, that could have gone anywhere!
Anshul Kamboj to Rishabh Pant, Goes very full, on off, Pant taps it in front of mid off and takes a quick run.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, On middle and leg, on a good length, Marsh knocks it wide of mid on for a single.
Anshul Kamboj to Rishabh Pant, Lands it on a good length, on off, steered down to deep third for a single by Rishabh.
Anshul Kamboj to Rishabh Pant, ! Hit with real authority! On off, fuller in length, Pant picks up the length early and swats it through square leg for a boundary.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Straying on the pads, on a length, Marsh helps it off the pads but can't beat Matheesha Pathirana at a widish short fine leg. The batters cross for one.
Change? No, Anshul Kamboj also gets a third over.
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, Pitched up, on off, Rishabh eases the drive to mid off.
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, On the fifth stump line, on a good length, Pant lets it go through.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, On off, on a good length, Marsh pats it in front of cover and gets to the other end quickly.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, ! All the way! Fuller but the line stays the same, on the pads, Marsh just whips it off his pads. Gets more height than distance on it but manages to clear the deep mid-wicket fence for a six.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, ! Put away with ease! On the shorter side, too straight, on leg, Marsh pulls it behind square on the leg side and manages to beat Anshul Kamboj in the deep to his right for a boundary.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, Pushed across from over the wicket, on a back of a length, Mitchell Marsh hops and shoulders arms.
Skipper Rishabh Pant comes out to the middle with LSG in a spot of bother.
Anshul Kamboj to Nicholas Pooran, ! LBW! Excellent review and CSK have rocked LSG early here. Slanting into the left-hander from around the wicket, on middle, Pooran plays all around it as he misses the flick. Gets beaten on the inside edge and the ball hits him on the front pad. A confident shout for LBW but turned down. MS Dhoni reckons that this might slide down leg but Anshul Kamboj is convinced and eventually, MSD takes the review. There is no bat involved and the Ball Tracking s
Anshul Kamboj to Nicholas Pooran, From around the wicket, tucks the batter up for room, on off, Nicholas eases it to cover.
Anshul Kamboj to Nicholas Pooran, ! Agricultural but effective! On the fuller side, on middle and leg, Pooran swings across the line and smears it to the left of deep square leg for a boundary.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Hurls it on a good length, on top of off, Marsh pushes it in front of cover and gets to the other end.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Drags the length back, outside off, Marsh steps out and guides it to cover-point.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, ! Effortlessly done! On a length, on off, Marsh just swings through the line and does not try to overhit this one. Lofts it over mid off for a six.
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Excellent discipline so far with the new ball from CSK! In the channel on off, on a nagging length, Nicholas Pooran waits back and looks to run it down but misses.
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Pooran will feel that he missed out! Short and wide on off, there to be put away, Pooran throws his hands at the delivery but fails to connect.
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Four!
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Play and a miss! At 138.1 kph, seaming away a bit, on a good length, Pooran has a loose waft at the delivery and the ball whistles past the outside edge.
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Bashes the hard length, on off, Nicholas pats it off the back foot to point.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, On a back of a length, on middle, Marsh swivels and pulls it down to deep fine leg for a single.
Anshul Kamboj to Nicholas Pooran, A tidy first over from Kamboj! Just a single off it. On a hard length, around off, Nicholas Pooran watchully makes the leave.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, At 129.7 kph, slanting in, on a good length, on middle, the ball stops in the surface and Marsh pushes a bit early. Plays it towards mid on and takes a quick single.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Brings the line closer to the batter, on a good length, Marsh steers it from the crease to point.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Third leave in a row! On the fuller side, swinging awasy from the right-hander, Marsh takes a step down the track and decides to leave the ball alone.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, In the channel on off, on a good length, Mitchell Marsh shoulders arms.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Lands it on a back of a length, in the corridor of off, Marsh is happy to let it go.
Nicholas Pooran walks out to bat at number 3.
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, ! IN THE AIR AND GONE! Excellent running catch from Rahul Tripathi in his 100th IPL game!
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, Short and wide on off, Aiden Markram frees his arms and cuts it along the ground to the left of deep point. Rachin Ravindra is quick across the turf in the deep and cuts it off with a dive. Saves two runs for his side, does Rachin.
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, Corrects the line, on middle, on a hard length, Markram stabs it down the deck off the back foot.
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, ! Aiden Markram and Lucknow Super Giants are underway! Width offered by Ahmed, on a short of a length, Aiden gets on top of the bounce and punches it along the ground through covers for a boundary.
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, No run.
All in readiness! The two umpires walk out to the middle, followed by the Chennai Super Kings players, who spread out to take their respective field positions. Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh are the two openers for Lucknow Super Giants. Khaleel Ahmed has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Let's play...
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, Khaleel is right on the money! Lands it on a good length, on middle and leg, Aiden Markram gets right behind the line and solidly defends.
Rishabh Pant, the captain of Lucknow Super Giants, says he would have bowled first as in Lucknow, the pitch plays on the slower side in the first innings and then starts getting quicker in the 2nd innings. He says they have talked about not giving a team like CSK any window to get into the game and keep them down and try to put in 100 percent. He says they wonât be thinking about the crowd, which is heavily in favour of CSK. Mentions that they want to play good cricket and stick to it. He co
The captain of the Chennai Super Kings, MS Dhoni, says that they will bowl first. Adds that there is a possibility of dew later in the evening. Mentions that the wicket tends to play better in the second half, and they are banking on that factor to work in their favour. Shares that he feels blessed to have such unwavering support at every venue and expresses gratitude to the fans for their continued backing. He also acknowledges that batting is an area where they havenât been consistent, and
Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI) - Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant (C/WK), David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh.
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI) - Shaik Rasheed, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni (C/WK), Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana.
Impact Players for Lucknow Super Giants - Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Shahbaz Ahamad, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh.
Impact Players for Chennai Super Kings - Shivam Dube, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Sam Curran, Deepak Hooda.
TOSS - The coin lands in favour of MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings have elected to BOWL first.
All in readiness for the chase to kick off.
... THE RUN CHASE ...
Right then, the CSK bowlers have done their job, and now it's up to the batters to chase down the total. On the other hand, LSG have the resources to defend this total, and their performance with the new ball will be crucial. The new ball has been the easiest time to bat and score runs, so how LSG handle that phase will be key. Back in a bit for the chase.
Ravindra Jadeja is in for a chat. He says that the wicket was very good and the ball was not gripping into the surface, so he kept on bowling the right lengths and tried to mix it up, especially with Pant over there, who can play those innovative reverse sweeps. He says he didnât do anything different and just stuck to his discipline. He adds that the outfield is quick, and LSG's batting lineup is very good, so he wanted to bowl tight lines and keep it simple. He says he might bat higher up
With Rishabh Pant struggling at the other end, LSG was in a tricky situation. However, Pant found the middle of his bat when it mattered, and Abdul Samad supported him with a couple of big strikes of his own to take LSG past 160.
Following those early setbacks, Mitchell Marsh and Rishabh Pant steadied the ship for the Super Giants. The middle overs, however, were controlled by the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Noor Ahmad, who kept LSG from gaining any real momentum. Marsh couldn't capitalize on his start, and Ayush Badoni, who had a couple of lucky breaks, also failed to make his innings count. He was initially caught, but it was ruled the third bouncer, and then given out LBW, only for replays to show he had gloved
The Lucknow Super Giants will be pleased with how they managed to find some big overs at the death. They scored 57 runs off the last 5 overs to finish with a total of 166. While this is their lowest first-innings score of the season, the surface has also proven to be challenging. Earlier, after opting to bowl first, Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj bowled with discipline and reaped the rewards in the Powerplay.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, ! TAKEN! Matheesha Pathirana ends with his second wicket! He takes pace off, full and on middle, Shardul Thakur is very early into his push and ends up chipping it to mid off. Shaik Rasheed comes forward a bit and takes a good catch. Lucknow Super Giants finishes with 166/7!
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, ! Streaky but they all count! Bangs this one into the pitch, outside off, Shardul Thakur looks to pull but gets a top edge towards the third man fence for a boundary.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, Hard length and on middle, Shardul Thakur heaves it to deep square leg for a brace.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, Slower again, back of a length but well outside off, Shardul Thakur fails to reach it. Another wide.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, No run.
Shardul Thakur is in next.
Matheesha Pathirana to Shardul Thakur, Pitched up but down the leg again, Shardul Thakur leaves it alone. Wided.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, ! TAKEN! TWO IN TWO FOR CSK! Matheesha Pathirana bowls the slower delivery, full and on middle. Rishabh Pant stays back and looks to whip it away but goes through his shot a bit early. The ball takes the top edge and goes high up in the air behind. MS Dhoni settles under it and pouches it safely. Pant walks back after a fine 63 off 49 balls, and LSG are 158/6!
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, ! RUN OUT! A superb piece of keeping from MS Dhoni! Fuller one but down the leg side, Abdul Samad leaves it alone. Rishabh Pant wants to steal a bye but Samad reacts a bit late. Dhoni cleverly underarm throws it at the bowler's end over Samad's head who has no idea that the throw is coming at that end. The ball hits the stumps with Samad well short of his crease. LSG lose half their side now!
Direct hit from MS Dhoni!
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Fuller and outside off, Rishabh Pant does well to reach it and drills it to sweeper covers for a single.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Tries the wide yorker, but serves this almost outside the pitch, Rishabh Pant leaves it alone. He thinks it is a No Ball, but after checking the replay, the third umpire confirms that it is a wide ball since the ball landed beyond the line of the stumps.
Khaleel Ahmed to Abdul Samad, ! BOOM! 16 runs off this over, 34 in the last two! Khaleel Ahmed bowls a slower bouncer, on middle and leg. Abdul Samad picks it up early, stands tall and pulls it over the deep square leg fence for a biggie.
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, ! A good effort though!
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, A slower one, on a length and on off, Rishabh Pant shuffles across to scoop but misses.
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, ! Top shot! Pitched up and on middle, pace on and in the slot. Rishabh Pant clears his front leg away and tonks it over the long on fence for a biggie.
Khaleel Ahmed to Abdul Samad, Hard length and on off, Abdul Samad slaps it to long off for a single.
Khaleel Ahmed to Abdul Samad, Back of a length and on middle and leg Abdul Samad heaves it to deep mid-wicket for a brace.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Slower again, full and on leg, Abdul Samad looks to flick but misses as the ball goes off his pads towards square leg. A leg bye is taken. 18 runs off the over!
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Run out chance...missed! A slower one, full and on off, Rishabh Pant goes through his slog early and gets a top edge. The ball lobs up and falls in front of covers as the batters set off for one. Rahul Tripathi picks it up and has all the time to aim but misses his shy at the bowler's end. Pant gave up on that but survives.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Short of a length but down the leg side, Rishabh Pant leaves it alone. Wided.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, PANT GETS TO HIS FIFTY WITH A BANG! A gritty knock from LSG skipper but now he needs to finish well here. Matheesha Pathirana bangs this one into the pitch and around middle. Rishabh Pant gets on top of the bounce but loses his bottom hand. However, he still manages to generate enough power for it to send it over the deep mid-wicket fence for a biggie.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Overpitched and outside off, Rishabh Pant squeezes it through extra covers for a brace.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, ! That will release a bit of pressure! Fuller one and on middle, in the slot as well. Rishabh Pant stays deep in his crease and brings out the helicopter shot over the wide long on fence for a biggie.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Wayward! Full but way down the leg side, Abdul Samad leaves it alone. MS Dhoni dives to his left to make a half-stop. A single is taken and it is called a wide.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Another short delivery, on middle, Rishabh Pant pulls it wide of deep mid-wicket for a brace. An incredible spell of bowing from Noor Ahmad as he concedes just 13 runs in his 4 overs.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Drags his length back, on middle, Rishabh Pant punches it to covers.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Quicker, short and on leg, Rishabh Pant once again tries to swipe it over backward square leg but misses and gets hit on the body as the ball drops onto the pitch. MS Dhoni moves forward and flicks the ball back onto the stumps but Pant got his bat inside just in time. The replays confirm the same.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Flatter, short and on leg, angling in again, Rishabh Pant gets cramped up and stabs it to cover-point.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Arm ball, full and on middle, angling in, Rishabh Pant goes down for the sweep but misses and gets hit on the pads.
Noor Ahmad to Abdul Samad, Floated, full and on middle, Abdul Samad swipes it to deep mid-wicket for a single.
STRATEGIC BREAK!
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Short of a length and on middle, Abdul Samad pulls it to deep square leg for a run.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, ! He connects this time alright! Fuller one and just around off, Abdul Samad get right under it, extends his arms and carves it over the deep extra cover fence for a biggie.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Matheesha Pathirana bangs in a quicker bouncer, outisde off, Abdul Samad looks to pull it away but misses.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, 1 run.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Back of a length and on middle, Rishabh Pant mistimes his pull to mid-wicket. He is struggling to find the middle of the bat at the moment.
Matheesha Pathirana to Abdul Samad, Right in the blockhole, on middle, Abdul Samad jams it out to long on for a single.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Darts one full and outside off, Rishabh Pant throws his bat at it but misses. Just 2 runs off the over. Superb stuff!
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Quicker one, short and on middle, Rishabh Pant shuffles a bit but only manages to chop it down on the pitch.
Noor Ahmad to Abdul Samad, Another wrong'un, full and on off, turns away, Abdul Samad looks to push it away but gets an outside edge along the ground wide of short third. The fielder dives to his left to make a good stop. They cross.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Flatter, full and on off, Rishabh Pant drills it to long off for a single.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, A googly now, full and on leg, turns in, Rishabh Pant uses his feet to work it away but misses and gets hit on the pads.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Noor Ahmad sees the batter back away and fires in a yorker, on off, Rishabh Pant fails to dig it out.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Short and outside off, Pant pulls it along the ground, in front off square for a single as the deep mid-wicket fielder cuts it off.
Abdul Samad is in next.
Ravindra Jadeja to Abdul Samad, Short on middle-leg, Samad works it along the ground to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, ! STUMPED! Badoni's luck has run out! Or has it? Ayush Badoni has been asked to wait. The third umpire is called into action to check whether MS Dhoni had the gloves behind the line of the stumps. The replays are in and it is touch and go. The third umpire concludes that he has no conclusive evidence that Dhoni's gloves are in the line of the stumps.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Shorter on off, Pant punches it along the ground to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, Short on off, Badoni looks to work it into the leg side, but gets a bit off an leading edge that goes along the ground to the left of the bowler. The batters are quick enough to get a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, Given LBW but successfully overturned by Ayush Badoni! For the second over in a row, CSK thought they had their man, only for it to be overturned. Speared in, at the stumps, on a nagging length, Badoni switches his stance and goes for the reverse. The ball skids through and sneaks under the blade to hit him on the front pad.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Pace taken off, on a length, on off, Pant pats it towards cover.
Matheesha Pathirana to Ayush Badoni, On off, on a length, Badoni drills it down to deep cover for a single.
Matheesha Pathirana to Ayush Badoni, No ball!
Taken at deep third by Vijay Shankar but the umpires have asked Ayush Badoni to wait as they check if it is the third bouncer of the over.
Matheesha Pathirana to Ayush Badoni, Slower short ball sliding down leg, Badoni looks to pull it behind square, but can't get any bat on it as the ball goes down the leg side to the keeper. Wide given.
Matheesha Pathirana to Ayush Badoni, Short ball just outside off, Badoni lets it go. That was well directed short ball by Pathirana.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, Back of a length on off, Pant opens his bat face, as he guides the ball along the ground to deep third man for a single.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, No run.
Matheesha Pathirana to Rishabh Pant, ! BEAUTIFUL!
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, ! ANOTHER ONE! Short on leg, Badoni hops and gets inside the line. Helps this one over deep fine leg for a six.Â
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, Six!
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, No run.
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, Bye.
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, Full on off, Badoni drives it off the front foot to the left off deep extra cover for a single.
Jamie Overton to Ayush Badoni, Back of a length well outside off, Badoni lets it go and looks at the umpire. He thought was wide, but it wasn't.Â
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Flat and short, on off, Pant guides it straight to short third.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Was there an edge on it? Short and wide outside off, Pant goes for the cut and gets an outside edge, Dhoni fluffs it. That was quick and deflected a lot off the edge, so that wasn't an easy catch. Nonetheless it will go down as a drop.
Noor Ahmad to Ayush Badoni, 1 run.
Noor Ahmad to Ayush Badoni, No run.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Full well outside off, Pant puts his front leg across and sweeps it behind square to deep backward square leg for a single.
Noor Ahmad to Ayush Badoni, Full on leg, Badoni flicks it off the front foot to deep mid-wicket for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, Pushed through, short and on off, Ayush tucks it towards mid-wicket for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, ! Up and over! Tossed up, on a nagging length, around off, Badoni steps down the track and gets to the pitch of the ball. Goes inside out over cover for a bouundary.
Ayush Badoni is the next man in.
Ravindra Jadeja to Ayush Badoni, No run.
Ravindra Jadeja to Mitchell Marsh, BOWLED HIM!
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Short on middle, Pant sits down and sweeps this behind square to deep backward square leg for a single.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, ! Lucky for Pant! Full and outside off, Pant goes for the sweep and gets an under edge which goes between the legs of Dhoni and runs away for a four. No chance for short fine leg to cut it off.
Strategic Break! Chennai Super Kings have done pretty well to contain the LSG batters, and the spinners will now try to create even more pressure. The duo of Rishabh Pant and Mitchell Marsh will want to extend this stand, as this is not an easy wicket to bat for the new batters. They will look to set up a platform for their power hitters to come and take them to a big score. CSK will be hoping that they can pick up a couple of wickets quickly and strengthen their grip on this game. An excitin
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Slightly fuller and slower, on middle, knocked down to long on for one.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, Fired in again, at 96.6 kph, Marsh swipes it to deep mid-wicket for one.
Noor Ahmad to Rishabh Pant, Flatter and shorter, on off, Pant nudges it in front of mid-wicket for a single.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, 1 run.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, No run.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, Again short, well outside off, Marsh goes for the cut, but can't get any bat on that one as he gets beaten on the under edge.
Noor Ahmad to Mitchell Marsh, Wide!
Spin from both ends now. Noor Ahmad has been introduced into the attack now.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Shorter in length on off, Pant defends it off the back foot. Dot to end the over.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, No run.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, Four!
Ravindra Jadeja to Mitchell Marsh, Slower through the air on off, Marsh again punches this one of the back foot, in the same area, but now there is some protection there and hence he will get one.
Ravindra Jadeja to Mitchell Marsh, ! A touch fuller in length, on leg stump, Marsh makes some room and drives this off the back foot to the right off point fielder for four.
Time for some spin now as Ravindra Jadeja replaces Anshul Kamboj.
Ravindra Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, 1 run.
Jamie Overton to Mitchell Marsh, Back of a length, just outside off, Marsh throws his hands at that one but gets an under edge which goes on the bounce to the wicket-keeper.
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, Length ball on middle-leg, Pant hops and tucks it behind square to deep fine leg for a single.
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, Short on the body, Pant ducks a bit and pulls it fine, to the left of deep fine leg, who runs to his left and cuts it off. Two runs taken.
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, ! AUDACIOUS HIT! Rishabh Pant is in the mood! Full on middle, Rishabh Pant switches his grip and reverse scoops it over deep third man for a six.
Jamie Overton to Mitchell Marsh, Fuller on middle, Marsh drives this along the ground to long on for a single.Â
Jamie Overton to Rishabh Pant, Back of a length just outside off, Pant pulls it with ease, along the ground to deep square leg for a single.
Jamie Overton comes into the attack now.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Oh, that could have gone anywhere!
Anshul Kamboj to Rishabh Pant, Goes very full, on off, Pant taps it in front of mid off and takes a quick run.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, On middle and leg, on a good length, Marsh knocks it wide of mid on for a single.
Anshul Kamboj to Rishabh Pant, Lands it on a good length, on off, steered down to deep third for a single by Rishabh.
Anshul Kamboj to Rishabh Pant, ! Hit with real authority! On off, fuller in length, Pant picks up the length early and swats it through square leg for a boundary.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Straying on the pads, on a length, Marsh helps it off the pads but can't beat Matheesha Pathirana at a widish short fine leg. The batters cross for one.
Change? No, Anshul Kamboj also gets a third over.
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, Pitched up, on off, Rishabh eases the drive to mid off.
Khaleel Ahmed to Rishabh Pant, On the fifth stump line, on a good length, Pant lets it go through.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, On off, on a good length, Marsh pats it in front of cover and gets to the other end quickly.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, ! All the way! Fuller but the line stays the same, on the pads, Marsh just whips it off his pads. Gets more height than distance on it but manages to clear the deep mid-wicket fence for a six.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, ! Put away with ease! On the shorter side, too straight, on leg, Marsh pulls it behind square on the leg side and manages to beat Anshul Kamboj in the deep to his right for a boundary.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, Pushed across from over the wicket, on a back of a length, Mitchell Marsh hops and shoulders arms.
Skipper Rishabh Pant comes out to the middle with LSG in a spot of bother.
Anshul Kamboj to Nicholas Pooran, ! LBW! Excellent review and CSK have rocked LSG early here. Slanting into the left-hander from around the wicket, on middle, Pooran plays all around it as he misses the flick. Gets beaten on the inside edge and the ball hits him on the front pad. A confident shout for LBW but turned down. MS Dhoni reckons that this might slide down leg but Anshul Kamboj is convinced and eventually, MSD takes the review. There is no bat involved and the Ball Tracking s
Anshul Kamboj to Nicholas Pooran, From around the wicket, tucks the batter up for room, on off, Nicholas eases it to cover.
Anshul Kamboj to Nicholas Pooran, ! Agricultural but effective! On the fuller side, on middle and leg, Pooran swings across the line and smears it to the left of deep square leg for a boundary.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Hurls it on a good length, on top of off, Marsh pushes it in front of cover and gets to the other end.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Drags the length back, outside off, Marsh steps out and guides it to cover-point.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, ! Effortlessly done! On a length, on off, Marsh just swings through the line and does not try to overhit this one. Lofts it over mid off for a six.
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Excellent discipline so far with the new ball from CSK! In the channel on off, on a nagging length, Nicholas Pooran waits back and looks to run it down but misses.
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Pooran will feel that he missed out! Short and wide on off, there to be put away, Pooran throws his hands at the delivery but fails to connect.
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Four!
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Play and a miss! At 138.1 kph, seaming away a bit, on a good length, Pooran has a loose waft at the delivery and the ball whistles past the outside edge.
Khaleel Ahmed to Nicholas Pooran, Bashes the hard length, on off, Nicholas pats it off the back foot to point.
Khaleel Ahmed to Mitchell Marsh, On a back of a length, on middle, Marsh swivels and pulls it down to deep fine leg for a single.
Anshul Kamboj to Nicholas Pooran, A tidy first over from Kamboj! Just a single off it. On a hard length, around off, Nicholas Pooran watchully makes the leave.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, At 129.7 kph, slanting in, on a good length, on middle, the ball stops in the surface and Marsh pushes a bit early. Plays it towards mid on and takes a quick single.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Brings the line closer to the batter, on a good length, Marsh steers it from the crease to point.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Third leave in a row! On the fuller side, swinging awasy from the right-hander, Marsh takes a step down the track and decides to leave the ball alone.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, In the channel on off, on a good length, Mitchell Marsh shoulders arms.
Anshul Kamboj to Mitchell Marsh, Lands it on a back of a length, in the corridor of off, Marsh is happy to let it go.
Nicholas Pooran walks out to bat at number 3.
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, ! IN THE AIR AND GONE! Excellent running catch from Rahul Tripathi in his 100th IPL game!
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, Short and wide on off, Aiden Markram frees his arms and cuts it along the ground to the left of deep point. Rachin Ravindra is quick across the turf in the deep and cuts it off with a dive. Saves two runs for his side, does Rachin.
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, Corrects the line, on middle, on a hard length, Markram stabs it down the deck off the back foot.
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, ! Aiden Markram and Lucknow Super Giants are underway! Width offered by Ahmed, on a short of a length, Aiden gets on top of the bounce and punches it along the ground through covers for a boundary.
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, No run.
All in readiness! The two umpires walk out to the middle, followed by the Chennai Super Kings players, who spread out to take their respective field positions. Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh are the two openers for Lucknow Super Giants. Khaleel Ahmed has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Let's play...
Khaleel Ahmed to Aiden Markram, Khaleel is right on the money! Lands it on a good length, on middle and leg, Aiden Markram gets right behind the line and solidly defends.
Rishabh Pant, the captain of Lucknow Super Giants, says he would have bowled first as in Lucknow, the pitch plays on the slower side in the first innings and then starts getting quicker in the 2nd innings. He says they have talked about not giving a team like CSK any window to get into the game and keep them down and try to put in 100 percent. He says they wonât be thinking about the crowd, which is heavily in favour of CSK. Mentions that they want to play good cricket and stick to it. He co
The captain of the Chennai Super Kings, MS Dhoni, says that they will bowl first. Adds that there is a possibility of dew later in the evening. Mentions that the wicket tends to play better in the second half, and they are banking on that factor to work in their favour. Shares that he feels blessed to have such unwavering support at every venue and expresses gratitude to the fans for their continued backing. He also acknowledges that batting is an area where they havenât been consistent, and
Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI) - Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant (C/WK), David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh.
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI) - Shaik Rasheed, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni (C/WK), Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana.
Impact Players for Lucknow Super Giants - Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Shahbaz Ahamad, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh.
Impact Players for Chennai Super Kings - Shivam Dube, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Sam Curran, Deepak Hooda.
TOSS - The coin lands in favour of MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings have elected to BOWL first.