Chennai Super Kings (CSK) made a winning return to their home ground at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, defeating Lucknow Super Giants by 12 runs in match no. 6 of the IPL 2023 on Monday. It was a landmark game for CSK skipper MS Dhoni, who completed 5,000 runs in the IPL as well during his brief knock of 12 off 3 balls with two massive sixes. Dhoni’s trademark comic timing was on show as well as the CSK bowlers leaking 13 wides and 3 no-balls in a wayward display against KL Rahul’s LSG.
Chasing 218 runs to win, LSG were restricted to 205 for 7, in spite of blazing fifty by Kyle Mayers and impressive 32 off 18 balls by Nicholas Pooran.
“They’ll have to bowl no no balls and less wides. We are bowling too many extra deliveries and need to cut them out otherwise they'll be playing under a new captain,” Dhoni said bluntly at the post-match presentation.
#CSK bowlers today bowled 13 wides and 3 no balls against #LSG and Captain @msdhoni, in his inimitable style, had this to say. __#TATAIPL | #CSKvLSG pic.twitter.com/p6xRqaZCiK
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 3, 2023
Dhoni said he was surprised by the Chepauk pitch which produced a lot of runs on Monday. “It was a terrific game, high-scoring game. All of us were thinking how the wicket will be. We had that doubt. It was a high-scoring game. Overall I think it was a perfect first game that happened and it was a full house for the first game in 5 or 6 years since we’ve been here. I thought it will be much slower. It was a wicket where you could score runs but overall it got a bit slower. We’ll have to see how it plays over the next six games at home but hopefully we can score here,” he added.
Dhoni said his side’s fast bowling department will also need slight improvement and bowl according to the conditions. “Even if it’s on the flatter side, force batters to hit over the fielders.”
Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul said his team did not have the ideal start after winning the toss and inviting CSK in to bat. “The bowlers said it was sticky and moving a bit so there was something in it for them but they didn’t put it in the right areas. When you have quality batters in the opposition, they will make you pay,” Rahul said.
“When you bowl first on a fresh wicket, it takes a bit of time to understand what a good pace and line to bowl on that wicket. (Devon) Conway and Rutu (Ruturaj Gaikwad) played some brilliant shots so it's something for us to learn and get better at. Six overs going for 70-odd is probably what cost us the game in the end, but I can't pinpoint one thing,” Rahul felt.
(with PTI inputs)
