Chennai Super Kings return to their iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk as they host Lucknow Super Giants in the sixth match of the Indian Premier League 2023.
Chennai Super Kings started their campaign with a five-wicket defeat against champions Gujarat Titans in the curtain raiser on Friday while Lucknow Super Giants recorded a dominating 50-run win over Delhi Capitals in their first game
Ben Stokes made his highly anticipated debut against the Titans along with young pacer Rajvardhan Hangargekar. The English batter was not able to make any impact but Hangargekar shone with three wickets for 36. But the biggest headline was the opener Ruturaj Gaikwad smashing 92 off 50. The young batter struggled for a start and picked up his rhythm too late last season.
All-rounders Ravindra Jadeaja, Shivam Dube, Mitchell Santner, and Moeen Ali also struggled but the real worry for CSK was their shattered pace attack. Deepak Chahar, who missed the entire 2022 edition with an injury, failed to get any wickets and also conceded 15 wickets in the 19th over when the Titans needed 23 off the last 12.
Hangargekar was impressive but third-choice pacer Tushar Deshpande, who came as a substitute impact player for Ambati Rayudu, conceded 51 runs off 20 balls. Dhoni didn’t turn to his sixth bowling options in Dube, Moeen, and Stokes and that proved a costly decision from the veteran skipper.
The Super Kings remain without the services of Sisanda Magala, Matheesha Pathirana, and Maheesh Theekshana for one more game. So, they are likely to keep faith in the same playing eleven for the upcoming game.
Meanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants started their campaign with a big win over Delhi Capitals in the third match of the tournament. The game turned out the debutant’s evening with Kyle Mayers, Mark Wood, and Nicholas Pooran all making a big impact for the Super Giants.
Mayers smashed 73 off 38 as he opened the innings in Quinton de Kock’s absence with skipper KL Rahul. A big-money signing Pooran played a cameo knock by adding 36 off 21 to help Lucknow post a total of 193/6 while batting first.
Mark Wood registered a first five-for for Lucknow Super Giants in the last match
But the biggest impact came from last season’s signing, Mark Wood, who missed the entire IPL 2022 due to an elbow injury. He took two big wickets of Prithvi Shaw and Mitchell Marsh on the back-to-back deliveries and picked three more wickets to register his first-ever IPL five-for. Ravi Bishni and Avesh Khan also shone with two wickets for each to restrict the Capitals to just 143/9.
Head to Head Record
Both teams have played just once with each other with KL Rahul’s Lucknow Super Giants winning the game by six wickets in a last-over three during IPL 2022 group-stage fixture.
Quinton de Kock smashed 61 off 45 to help the Super Giants chase a 211-run target with three balls remaining. But in the past seasons, Chennai Super Kings have been at their best at MA Chidambaram Stadium and will be looking to make it right for the last season’s defeat against Lucknow Super Giants.
Key Players
Ruturaj Gaikwad (Chennai Super Kings): Ruturaj Gaikwad struggled in the early stages of the tournament last year but has started this season with a dashing knock. He never seemed troubled during his shot selection against the Titans’ star-studded bowling attack and totally dominated the game.
He was run out after scoring only one run against Lucknow Super Giants last season and will be looking to make it up for that in the upcoming game.
Mark Wood (Lucknow Super Giants): The English speedster arrived at LSG with a lot of expectations in IPL 2022 but was unfortunate to miss the entire season due to an injury. But he made the biggest possible impact with five wickets while conceding just 14 runs against the Capitals.
Wood was completely dominant with each delivery as the Capitals batters struggled to stand their ground. If he stays fit this season, he will be an unstoppable force to reckon with and a potential candidate for the Purple Cap race.
Predicted Playing XI
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni ©, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Rajvardhan Hangagekar
Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul ©, Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Krunal Pandya, Ayush Badoni, Mark Wood, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Jayadev Unadkat
Prediction
Lucknow Super Giants enter this game as favorites after their 50-run win over the Capitals in the opening game. Chennai Super Kings were impressive against the Titans but are clearly lacking death bowling options this season. Both teams have quality spin options available as Chepauk’s wicket is expected to be slow after powerplay overs.
Lucknow also won the last year’s game and is extra motivated with their start of the season ahead of facing Chennai for the second time in their history.