CSK and LSG split points
The rain refuses to relent. The game has been called off. Dhoni waves to the Lucknow crowd. Both sides reach 11 points to slot in behind table-toppers Titans. Thanks for tuning in. Cheers
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Weather plays hide and seek in Lucknow
The covers had been peeled off by 6pm IST, but the rain has returned and the covers are back on at Ekana Stadium. CSK's target will be 127 in 19 overs, if LSG don't bat on, says our statsguru S Rajesh. The cut-off time is 7.28pm. Chances of resumption fade away.
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Dasgupta, Tait on Badoni's counterattack
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Rain interrupts Badoni's blitz
Badoni lines up Chahar for 4,6,6 in the 19th over that costs CSK 20 runs overall. After Badoni cleared the shorter leg-side boundary, Chahar shifted his line wider of off, and had protection at wide long-off, but Badoni swings with a still head and manufactures enough power to pump the ball over extra-cover.
Pathirana then has K Gowtham holing out with a slower offcutter into the pitch in the last over. Rain then returns to interrupt Badoni's terrific innings. He's on 59 not out off 33 balls and is the only batter to have struck at over 150 on this tough track. LSG are 125 for 7 in 19.2 overs. Captain Krunal welcomes Badoni back with a bear hug. LSG mentor Gambhir also congratulates Badoni who has single-handedly put LSG back in the game.
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Badoni takes on Theekshana again
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LSG take 15 off Theekshana's last over, thanks in no small part to Badoni who had started the over with another slog-swept six over the shorter leg-side boundary. Badoni then sat back for the short, wide one from the spinner and scythed it behind point to also beat Jadeja in the outfield. This is some contribution from Badoni on a difficult track. Theekshana is usually impeccable with his lengths, but he has messed it up in this over by going too full or too short. Credit to Badoni, though, for picking his carrom ball and the leg-side gap.
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Badoni breaks the drought
Badoni stretches out and slog-sweeps Theekshana for a flat six over midwicket in the 15th over. This is LSG's first boundary since the powerplay and first six in the game. At the other end, Pooran has worked his way to 16 off 24 balls. LSG are 73 for 5, with five overs left in their innings. Pathirana will bowl three of those overs.
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Home advantage, what?
CSK's spinners are running through LSG in conditions that probably remind CSK of Chepauk. Moeen hangs onto a return catch to get rid of Karan Sharma and leave LSG five down.
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Jadeja leaves Stoinis stunned
With two right-handers to work with after the powerplay, Jadeja comes into the attack and leaves Stoinis perplexed. He can't believe what has happened here. Jadeja gets one to drift in at leg stump from left-arm around and then gets it to turn away viciously and ridiculously to hit the top of off stump. Unplayable stuff. Genuine contender for ball of the tournament. LSG slump further to 34 for 4 in seven overs. LSG have lost all four wickets to spin.
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Theekshana's double-strike
It's been particularly hard for CSK to leave out Santner, but Theekshana gives their attack a potent point of difference with his ability to turn the ball both ways. He also bowls the tough overs in T20 cricket. He fronts up to bowl the last over of the powerplay once again. He takes out Vohra (10) and Krunal Pandya (0) off successive balls this time. Stoinis, however, averts the hat-trick and finds the square-leg boundary with a sweep. LSG are 31 for 3 in six overs.
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Moeen bests Mayers once again
Deepak Chahar swings the ball both ways. Tushar Deshpande also keeps it tight in his first over. Dhoni then brings Moeen into the mix in the fourth over and the offspin-bowling allrounder responds with the wicket of Mayers for 14 off 17 balls. Whenever he has bowled this season, Moeen has put the ball on a Test-match length and looked to turn it as much as possible. He finds slow turn this time and has Mayers holing out to Gaikwad running in from long-off. This is the third time in four innings that Mayers has dismissed Moeen in T20 cricket.
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Will Dhoni return for next IPL?
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CSK opt to bowl as Chahar returns
"The wicket was under covers and is tacky, so that's why we want to bowl," says Dhoni amid massive cheers. Deepak Chahar is fit again and he returns in place of Akash Singh. No Stokes yet for CSK. Dhoni's call goes down well with Krunal who says LSG had preferred to bat first anyway. UP captain Karan Sharma and Manan Vohra in for LSG. Left-arm fast bowler Mohsin Khan is also back for them, having recovered from a shoulder surgery. This will be Mohsin's first competitive game since IPL 2022
Chennai Super Kings 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Matheesha Pathirana, 10 Tushar Deshpande, 11 Maheesh Theekshana
Subs: Ambati Rayudu, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Akash Singh
Lucknow Super Giants: 1 Manan Vohra, 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Marcus Stoinis, 4 Krunal Pandya (capt), 5 Karan Sharma, 6 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 7 Ayush Badoni, 8 K Gowtham, 9 Naveen-ul-Haq, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Mohsin Khan
Subs: Yash Thakur, Daniel Sams, Quinton de Kock, Prerak Mankad, Deepak Hooda
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T20 Time:Out with Tait and Dasgupta
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Toss at 3.30pm IST
The rain has cleared and the players are warming up at Ekana. Toss to take place at 3.30pm, first ball at 3.45pm. Will de Kock get a game for LSG? Will CSK find room for Santner?
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Toss delayed due to rain
We will not begin on time as it's raining in Lucknow now. The covers are on at Ekana Stadium and the toss has been delayed.
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Shall we begin?
Less than 48 hours after that chaotic finish between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Super Giants host MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings.
Will Lucknow roll out a black-soil pitch again? Or will they change it up to red? Regardless of the colour of the soil, the Ekana Stadium stands will go yellow for Dhoni. Both LSG and CSK have 10 points from nine games, with LSG having a superior net run-rate of 0.639. However, LSG have struggled to adjust to the black-soil turners at home, losing their last three fixtures at Ekana. They will also be without their regular captain Rahul who has been ruled out of this game with a hip flexor injury. Krunal Pandya is set to lead LSG in the injury-enforced absence of Rahul.
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