Mumbai: Lucknow Super Giants defeated Chennai Super Kings by six wickets to register their first win in the Indian Premier League here on Thursday. Set an imposing target of 211, first-timers LSG completed the task with three balls to spare at the Brabourne Stadium.
Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul scored 61 and 40, respectively, while Evin Lewis blazed away to 55 off 23 balls. Earlier, sent into bat, Chennai Super Kings scored 210 for seven.
Opening the innings, the seasoned Robin Uthappa smashed a 27-ball 50 at the Brabourne Stadium, while Shivam Dube struck an aggressive 49 off 30 balls.
Evin Lewis, Player of the Match, said, ‘Very good pitch, once you get in you can score freely. I just backed my strengths and ability. I think he is a very confident guy. I saw him (Badoni) in the nets. I just try to keep it simple and want to do the best for the team.’
KL Rahul , winning captain, said, ‘He has a big heart and he is a fighter for a young boy. It shows the character to bounce back with the wet ball. He is someone who wants to grow and learn. He spends time with the spin coach. Credit for that should go to Vijay Dahiya and GG. They were the ones who wanted him. His batting has been phenomenal. Can bowl as well. Great find for Indian cricket. You can give yourself a couple of overs. If you get a couple of boundaries then it settles the nerves. We got the start we wanted for a big chase. I told him before the first game that he will be batting at three. Doesn’t matter. Spinners or fast bowlers he knows one way. His timing has gotten a lot better. Great to see players coming in and winning games. Puts a smile on the captain’s face.’
Quinton de Kock, said, ‘: It was unbelievable. To winning these type of close games is always good for the team morale. Great win, boys batted really well. We came out fighting and to come out on top is always special. We thought we can chase down 210. We understood after the first two or three overs that it was a really good wicket. I’d say it was a par score on this wicket actually. It was nice to get out there and just bat, I wasn’t in too much rush. I had to get out there and spend some time, I knew it was a good enough wicket. It was just a matter of doing that and it’s also nice for couple of the other boys to get out there and bat a bit. Evin played a hell of a knock tonight which was unbelievable and so did the youngster. It was great for everyone. It was nervy, chasing 210 is always going to be a close game but the boys were quite calm. It was mixed emotions between everyone. I was pretty calm myself, we knew what was going on out there. But still to get it done actually is still a hell of a job done.’
Ravindra Jadeja, losing captain, said, ‘We had a very good start, Robbie and Shivam Dube were playing brilliantly. We had a good start, but in the fielding, we have to take catches then you’ll win matches. We should have taken those chances. There was a lot of dew, the ball wasn’t sticking to the hand. Next time, we have to practise with the wet ball. We batted brilliantly in the top-six and in the middle-overs. The wicket was very good to bat on. As a bowling unit, we need to execute our plans’