The match at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow started with MS Dhoni making the strategic choice to field first. The Chennai Super Kings management both revived and sidelined some key players by fielding 20-year-old Shaik Rasheed and skipping experienced veteran players Ravichandran Ashwin and Devon Conway. The strategic team selection allowed the visitors to execute an impeccable batting performance.
Also Read: LSG Vs CSK: Rishabh Pant’s Gradual Return to Form Seems Promising For Lucknow Dugout
Khaleel Ahmed dealt the first blow
Khaleel Ahmed managed to remove Aiden Markram in the initial delivery of LSG’s batting order. The fielder Rahul Tripathi successfully caught Markram on his frantic attempt to score six runs. Early strikes from CSK’s bowlers began their upward momentum. Anshul Kamboj sent off Nicholas Pooran in a quick succession that intensified the pressure on Super Giants.
Rishabh Pant Fights Back with Gritty Fifty
Rishabh Pant established an essential recovery role for LSG after constantly suffering form problems throughout the season. He produced an enduring 42-ball innings during which he achieved his first fifty of this season position—it became his second slowest delivery performance of his IPL history. The partnership between Mitchell Marsh (30 runs) and LSG achieved 166/7 as their batting total.
The late-phase hitting effort by Pant failed to produce results because Ravindra Jadeja together with the other CSK bowlers maintained consistent wicket-taking runs.
Shaik Rasheed Impresses on Debut, Ravindra Sets the Tempo
The chase for CSK started off with strong opening partnerships. During his early innings debut Shaik Rasheed displayed both composure and effective timing skills followed by Rachin Ravindra who sustained a fast run rate. Unfortunately the promising innings of both batsmen ended at the critical point which required the middle bat order to rebuild their momentum.
While fans cheered his name continuously MS Dhoni delivered a classic finishing performance as he scored 26* off 11 balls with three boundaries and two sixes. The precise batting and strength of MS Dhoni completed the match for CSK with limited delivery time remaining.
