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Images from the IPL 2024 match between Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Friday.
Openers KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock, who made classy fifties on a slow pitch, produced a chasing masterclass to power Lucknow Super Giants to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2024 match in Lucknow on Friday.
Put into bat, Ravindra Jadeja came up with a solid unbeaten 57 before Mooen Ali (30 off 20) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (28 off 9) went on a six-hitting spree to take CSK to a fighting 176/6.
In reply, Rahul (82) and De Kock (54) batted with authority during their match-winning alliance of 134, the highest partnership for any wicket at the Ekana Stadium, as LSG cruised to 180/2 in 19 overs to get back to winning ways after two successive defeats.
CSK, who came into the match with two wins in a row, stay third with four wins from seven games.
Guilty of not capitalising on his starts, Rahul finally lived up to the expectations, smashing nine fours and three sixes in his 53-ball knock, while de Kock overcame a scratchy start to hit five fours and a six in his 43-ball knock.
Chasing 177, Rahul was the aggressor as he played some magnificent strokes in the Powerplay to give LSG a flying start.
LSG skipper Rahul was harsh on Deepak Chahar as he pulled the pacer for a six, before slapping him for another maximum over cover, while also hitting him for a four off a slower delivery.
Rahul also produced a punch off the backfoot for a boundary off pacer Mustafizur Rahman as runs came thick and fast.
De Kock too smashed Tushar Deshpande for a maximum over deep midwicket as LSG race to 54 for no loss in six overs in the Powerplay.
Rahul was in total control. He slammed a short-pitched ball from pacer Matheesha Pathirana over thirdman for another maximum and the Sri Lankan pacer was left further demoralised when he dropped de Kock's catch at short third man off Jadeja in the ninth over.
At the halfway stage, LSG were well-placed on 89 for no loss after 10 overs.
Rahul notched up his 35th fifty with a four off Jadeja in the 11th over and then picked up another boundary to complete a 100-run opening stand with De Kock.
De Kock, who was subdued in the last three games, then reached his fifty in the 15th over with a single off Mustafizur before he perished to the Bangladesh pacer.
However, Nicholas Pooran came out with all cylinders blazing, slamming Pathirana for a maximum, before sending Mustafizur on a leather hunt.
A one-handed catch from Jadeja finally ended Rahul's fabulous knock but it was too late as Pooran (23 not out) and Marcus Stoinis (8 not out) knocked off the remaining runs.
Earlier, Rahul was spot on with his bowling changes as the pacers put the CSK batters under pressure initially before spinner Krunal Pandya tightened the noose in the middle overs.
But Ali's three sixes off Ravi Bishnoi (1/44) and Mohsin Khan's 19th over which yielded 15 overs, including four wides, a six and a four and a 19-run 20th over handed the initiative back to CSK. The last four overs yielded 63 as CSK's counter-attack left LSG stunned.
LSG seamers were on the money from the start as they exploited the conditions to pick up two wickets in the Powerplay.
Opener Rachin Ravindra's (0) aweful run continued as left-arm pacer Mohsin bowled a perfect first delivery to rattle his stumps.
Rahane (36), who opened the innings again, and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (17) looked to steady things with the former pulling LSG debutant Matt Henry for the first six of their innings as 13 came off the over.
Yash Thakur was introduced next in the attack and he justified Rahul's decision by inducing an outside edge off Gaikwad to be caught behind.
However, Rahane hit two fours off the last two balls of the over as CSK accumulated 13 runs in the over.
Ravindra Jadeja, promoted to No. 4, picked a boundary off Henry in the next over as CSK recovered to 52/2 in six overs at the end of Powerplay.
Owing to the slowness of the track, LSG skipper immediately introduced spinners Krunal and Bishnoi and the former struck in his second over, cleaning up Rahane.
Shivam Dube had been one of CSK's top batters in IPL 2024 but he failed to fire this time with Marcus Stoinis (1/7) justifying Rahul's decision to hand over the ball to him, striking in his first ball as the left-handed batter sliced one up in the air.
Krunal then returned to stump impact player Sameer Rizvi, who paid the price for his premeditative dance down the track as CSK lost half their side with 90 on board.
Jadeja, who played some cracking sweep shots, held one end up and completed his fifty with a six off Mohsin to bring out his trademark sword-wielding celebration.
Rahul's decision to give another over to Bishnoi, however, backfired as Moeen slammed three sixes as 19 came off the 18th over before perishing.
LSG paid the price for a sloppy overrate as Dhoni slammed a four and a six off Mohsin before smashing Thakur for another maximum. He finished the innings with two more fours as 19 came off the last over.