CSK vs LSG: KL Rahul opens up on his changed batting approach and demands Catch of the Tournament award

KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) took on the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 39th match of the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024) on Tuesday, April 23, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk.

KL Rahul-led side won the toss and they opted to bowl first in the match keeping in mind the dew factor in the second innings. Initially, the LSG bowlers were brilliant as they kept the run rate in check and picked two early wickets.

However, once CSK stars Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube joined forces, they took the LSG bowlers to the cleaners. Gaikwad smashed 108 runs and Dube slammed 66 as CSK registered 210/4. 

Chasing the target, Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul, and Devdutt Padikkal failed, but Marcus Stoinis batted exceptionally and stitched up 70 runs in 34 balls with Nicholas, who also batted well, to bring LSG back in the game.

After Pooran got out, Stoinis took the responsibility on his shoulders and smashed a blistering ton to power his team to a 6-wicket victory. He smoked 124 off 63 balls to bag the Player of the Match award 

At the post-match presentation ceremony, KL Rahul said that it was a special victory for them as they were behind in the game for the most part. KL Rahul stated:

"Very special, especially when it’s a game like that. We were way behind the game when we were batting so it was very special to pull it off. It was a fresh start, both teams started off at 0. Different conditions here. I think they started off really well and put us under pressure. 170-180 would’ve been a great total here but they batted really well."

KL Rahul showered ultimate praise on Marcus Stoinis for steering LSG to win and said that the Australian all-rounder did clever batting and picked his bowlers perfectly.

"Full credit to Stoinis. It was not just power hitting, it was very clever batting. He picked his bowlers and played very well. (On sending Stoinis at 3) We felt like we needed to be braver and capitalize the powerplay and needed 1 power-hitter in the top-3. I’ve realized that T20 cricket has changed in the past couple of years, 170-180 doesn’t always cut it. You need to go harder in the powerplay and the impact player rule also gives you a bit more depth."

KL Rahul, who has recently started playing aggressively, further spoke about the change to his batting approach and said that he was happy that he is being successful with it. KL Rahul signed off by talking about his stunning catch to send back Ajinkya Rahane and cheekily said that he hopes to win the Catch of the Tournament award for his efforts. KL Rahul elaborated:

"(On the change to his own batting) Haven't played much T20 cricket so happy that it’s coming off. There’s no set plan, apart from the openers, everyone else is ready to go out whenever we feel it's right. We’re going to keep it flexible. (On his catch earlier) Not bad, not bad… I hope I get the catch of the tournament award (smiles), I was just being modest."

LSG vs CSK IPL 2024 Previous Meeting Result 

The previous meeting between the two teams was a one-sided affair at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on April 19. After electing to bowl first in the match, the LSG bowlers did a fantastic job and restricted Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to a decent total of 176/6. 

Ravindra Jadeja hit a half-century, Ajinkya Rahane and Moeen Ali contributed runs in 30s while MS Dhoni played a sensational 28-run cameo. For LSG, Krunal Pandya picked two wickets while Marcus Stoinis, Yash Thakur, Mohsin Khan, and Ravi Bishnoi managed to bag one wicket each.

Chasing the target, KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock gave a remarkable start to Lucknow Super Giants and almost sealed the win for the team with their 134-run stand. After the openers got out, Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran batted well to help LSG complete the run-chase in 19 overs. The Lucknow Super Giants managed to thump the 5-time champions by 8 wickets.