LSG vs CSK IPL 2023 Highlights: Ruturaj Gaikwad's blazing fifty and Moeen Ali’s magical four-fer helped Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeat Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 12 runs on Monday (April 3), win their maiden match in 2023 season of India Premier League (IPL) 2023. Tonight's win is very special for CSK and their fans as the franchise played their first match in their home ground, MA Chidambaram Stadium, after a long gap of 4 years. Luckily, fans at Chepauk got what they wanted!
Chasing 218 for the win, Lucknow were off to a flier with Kyle Mayers bringing up his fifty off just 21 balls but things took a U-turn with introduction of Mooen Ali into the attack. After end of 1st five overs, Lucknow were 73/0 but they collapsed to 136/5 after 14 overs, with Moeen cleaning up a LSG batter in each of his four overs. Nicholas Pooran kept LSG's winning chance alive but it all ended for KL Rahul-led team with his dismissal before the penultimate over.
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Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) won the toss and invited Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to bat first. Initial blitz by CSK openers Gaikwad (57 off 37 balls; 3 fours, 4 sixes) and New Zealand left-hander Devon Conway (47 off 29 balls; 5 fours, 2 sixes), their 110 runs partnership for the opening wicket, powered Chennai to 217/7 against Lucknow Super Giants, with no LSG bowler being spared. Apart from the openers, there were important contributions from Shivam Dube (27 off 16 balls; 1 four, 3 sixes) and Moeen Ali (19) as well. While Gaikwad notched up his second half-century of IPL 2023 to lead CSK's fight vs Lucknow, captain Dhoni smacked two big sixes before being dismissed to send the Chepauk crowd into a frenzy.
In the initial overs, both CSK openers Gaikwad and Conway, currently in supreme form, made full use of the fielding restrictions as the duo notched up 79 runs in the first six overs. Gaikwad, after scoring 92 runs in IPL 2023 tournament opener against Gujarat, continued from where he left and played some effortless strokes to help CSK cross 100-run mark in the eighth over itself as LSG bowlers looked clueless.
Spinner Ravi Bishnoi (3/28) and Mark Wood (3/49) picked three wickets apiece for Lucknow. Pacer Avesh Khan finished with figures of 1 for 39 in 3 overs.
Brief Scores: Chennai Super Kings 217/7 in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 57, Devon Conway 47; Ravi Bishnoi 3/28, Mark Wood 3/49) vs CSK.