'You need to go harder in the powerplay': Star LSG batter admits the importance of strike rate in T20s
Lucknow Super Giants handed Chennai Super Kings a stunning defeat at Chepauk as Marcus Stoinis' 124* trumped Ruturaj Gaikwad's 108*.
Lucknow Super Giants pulled off a heist on Tuesday (April 23) when they defeated the home favorites Chennai Super Kings by 6 wickets at Chepauk. After being put in to bat first, CSK scored 210-4, thanks to a magnificent century (108* runs off 60 balls) from captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and a whirlwind half-century (66 runs off 27 balls) from Shivam Dube.
It seemed like an above par score. Chennai also dismissed the LSG's openers early during the chase. At one stage, it seemed like CSK will cruise to another home victory but Marcus Stoinis had other ideas. Stoinis smashed an unbeaten 124 off just 63 balls and also hit the winning runs. Nicholas Pooran gave him good company while Deepak Hooda also played an important hand and stayed unbeaten till the end.
KL Rahul admits the importance of strike rate in T20s
During the post-match presentation, LSG skipper KL Rahul lauded Marcus Stoinis for his stellar knock. Stoinis cracked 13 fours and 6 sixes during his knock which helped his team register an improbable win over the defending champions.
“Full credit to Stoinis. It was not just power-hitting, it was very clever batting. He picked his bowlers and played very well. 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," Rahul said.
Rahul further admitted to the fact that strike rates play an important role in T20 cricket now and the batters need to make full use of powerplay restrictions.
"You need to go harder in the powerplay, and the impact player rule also gives you a bit more depth. I 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,” Rahul stated on his team's game plan.
Rahul had once stated that strike rates are overrated in T20s. He has often being criticized for his low strike rates. The wicketkeeper-batter has scored 302 runs in 8 matches so far in IPL 2024 where he averages 37.75 and has a strike rate of 141.12. In the previous game against CSK played at Lucknow, Rahul scored a match-winning 83 off 52 balls but was dismissed cheaply for 16 in this game.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram and YouTube.