In a ton-for-ton response, Marcus Stoinis scored his maiden IPL century to overcome Ruturaj Gaikwad’s hundred for Chennai Super Kings and helped Lucknow Super Giants to a six-wicket victory in Match 39 of the Indian Premier League at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Tuesday. Coming in after the fall of the first wicket in the first over, Stoinis hammered a 63-ball 124 not out as Lucknow Super Giants romped to 213/4 after Giakwad’s 60-ball 108 not out helped Chennai Super Kings to 210/4 in 20 overs.
Chasing a big target, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) suffered an early setback as Quinton de Kock got out for a duck. The batter went for a cut only to chop it back onto his stumps to the swinging delivery outside off. In the first four games of the season, KL Rahul scored at a strike rate of 125.49 in the Power-play. But after that, he smashed it at 185.11 in this phase.
He was looking dangerous once again. After an early wicket, Rahul and Marcus Stoinis kept LSG’s chase on track but Mustafizur Rahman pegged them back. Having hit a four earlier in the over, Rahul went for another big hit but failed to clear Gaikwad at extra cover. Rahut got out after scoring 16. LSG were 45/2 at the end of six overs as Stoinis continued ticking the scoreboard.
Devdutt Padikkal came in as an Impact Player. He has struggled for runs this IPL, and it was the same story against CSK as he was on 12 off 16 balls.
Meanwhile, Stoinis has been keeping LSG in the contest almost singlehandedly. He brought up his fifty off 26 balls, with the help of six fours and two sixes. But it’s still an uphill task. LSG were 83/2 after 10 overs and needed 128 from the next ten. A length ball at 151.4 kph in the line of leg stump from Mateesha Pathirana and Padikkal had no answer to it. He backed away but was beaten by pace and had his leg stump uprooted. He departed for 13 off 19 balls. LSG were 88/3 after 11, needing 123 from nine overs.
The sole reason LSG opted to chase was the dew in the second half. And it seemed to be making a difference as a couple of overs ago, Tushar Deshpande bowled a high no-ball. If there was more evidence needed, a cutter into the pitch from Mustafizur came onto the bat nicely – Stoinis hit it straight off the back foot. Shardul Thakur bowled the 16th over. Pooran and Stoinis knew they had to make it a big one because the remaining four were to be bowled by Mustafizur and Pathirana. Pooran made sure LSG didn’t miss out and smashed the first three balls for 6, 4, 6. In all, 20 came from it. LSG needed 54 from 24 deliveries as the asking rate came down to 13.5.
Pooran looked to take on Pathirana as well but ended up miscuing it to Shardul Thakur at long-off. Deepak Hooda was the new batter and smashed his second ball over deep square leg for a six. Stoinis, meanwhile, brought up his maiden IPL hundred, off 56 balls. LSG needed 32 off two overs. Hooda hammered Pathirana for two fours, to go with one from Stoinis to collect 15 from the penultimate over.
LSG now needed 17 from the last over bowled by Mustafizur Rahaman. Stoinis launched the first one over long-on before drilling the next straight back for four. Luck, too, favoured him as the next one raced to the right of the short third man. Fizz had overstepped as well, which reduced the equation to two needed from four balls. On the next, Stoinis moved across and pulled a short ball over backward square leg to seal the deal for LSG by six wickets and three balls remaining.
Stoinis broke the record for the highest individual score in an IPL chase, overcoming Paul Valthaty’s 120* in 2011, also against CSK, after scoring 124 not out in 63 deliveries. In three games before this, no team had come to Chepauk this season and beaten CSK. No team has come here and chased down 211. LSG did in the same match, led by a magnificent hundred by Marcus Stoinis.
