Marcus Stoinis delivered a stunning performance, scoring his first century and leading the Lucknow Super Giants to a thrilling 6-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
Stoinis’s unbeaten 124 silenced the home crowd and powered LSG to overcome CSK for the second time this season, achieving the highest successful run chase ever at Chepauk.
The match began with CSK setting a formidable target. Chennai’s captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad, opened the innings but his partner Ajinkya Rahane fell early, caught behind off Matt Henry. Despite the early loss, Gaikwad quickly regained momentum, hitting a brisk fifty. However, LSG’s bowlers, including Yash Thakur and Mohsin Khan, managed to contain the middle order, with Thakur dismissing Daryl Mitchell and Khan removing Ravindra Jadeja.
Shivam Dube then joined Gaikwad, and the duo accelerated the innings. Dube’s aggressive batting, which included three consecutive sixes off Thakur, and Gaikwad’s century propelled CSK to 210/4, capped by a crowd-pleasing boundary from MS Dhoni.
In response, LSG had a shaky start with Quinton de Kock bowled by Deepak Chahar for a duck and KL Rahul falling to Mustafizur Rahman early. However, Stoinis took charge, forging crucial partnerships, first with Devdutt Padikkal and then Nicholas Pooran. Despite losing partners, Stoinis remained resolute, turning the game in the final overs with a spectacular display of hitting.
Needing 47 runs from the last three overs, Stoinis unleashed a barrage of boundaries, including a six and three consecutive fours in the final over against Mustafizur, who had 17 runs to defend. Stoinis’s match-winning 124* included 13 fours and six sixes, securing a historic win for LSG as they chased down the target with balls to spare.
