KL Rahul acknowledges young LSG bowlers handling pressure against MS Dhoni.
Lucknow Super Giants registered a thrilling victory against Chennai Super Kings in the 34th match of IPL 2024 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium on Friday night. The LSG skipper KL Rahul lauded the former CSK captain MS Dhoni for his magnificent knock and his stellar boundaries.
Inviting the visitors to bat first, Lucknow Super Giants conceded a huge total of 176 runs. CSK’s star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja smashed a quick half century and put 57 runs on the board off 40 deliveries as the LSG bowlers consistently took wickets to stay ahead in the game.
However, towards the end of the innings the 42-year-old Mahendra Singh Dhoni stole the show with his stunning cameo. Dhoni scored 28 runs off 9 deliveries at a whopping strike rate of 311.11, smashing two boundaries and two sixes. The wicket-keeper batter has had an astonishing performance throughout IPL 2024 as he continues to shine bright in the death overs.
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Lucknow Super Giants beat Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets in the match, chasing 177 runs target at the end of 19 overs. In the post match presentation, KL Rahul admitted MS Dhoni put the young Lucknow bowlers under pressure as he accelerated his innings.
“Feels good at the end of the day. When you win, most decisions feel right. We were committed to our plans. Really happy about that. Depending on the wicket, I deploy my bowlers. We tried to mix it around. MSD walked in and the pressure got to the bowlers. He has had the intimidation of opposition bowlers. Our young bowlers were put under pressure with the crowd going berserk as well. 15-20 runs extra they got. I have been trying to assess the situation”, said KL Rahul.
The LSG skipper acknowledged the Stadium turning into a sea of yellow as Lucknow spectators came out in the support of MS Dhoni.
“It came off today. I knew the CSK spinners would put the pressure on. I picked my bowlers and it came off. Quinton batted well as well. Made life easy for both. Different ball game playing in Chennai. Was playing in front of a mini Chennai crowd. We are a young team and happy to play in front of such a crowd”, Rahul added.
Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings will once again lock horns in IPL 2024 on April 23 at the M Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
