Chennai: After winning the first home game of the season against Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants will fly south for their first away game of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 - a tussle against Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s wounded Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday.
Also known as Chepauk or ‘Fortress Chepauk’, the MA Chidambaram Stadium has been a happy hunting ground for CSK. They have won 40 out of 56 matches played at the venue with a win percentage of 71.42.
Monday’s tie will be LSG’s first-ever match in Chennai but the boys will be brimming with confidence after an impressive showing against Delhi.
LSG and CSK have made contrasting starts in the IPL 2023 season. LSG beat Capitals handsomely by 50 runs and laid down a perfect launchpad for the rest of the season. As for CSK, the four-time champions lost their season opener to the defending champions Gujarat Titans by five wickets.
KL Rahul and Co put on a fantastic team performance against DC, and will look to build on the momentum against CSK.
Like the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium pitch, the Chennai track has traditionally offered ample turn for the spinners. With wily operators like Ravi Bishnoi and others in the team, LSG have the tools required to rattle the CSK batsmen.
LSG overseas players, Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran and Mark Wood, rocked DC in the opener and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t hope for a similar performance from the trio in Chennai.
Skipper KL Rahul will also look to shine with the bat.
CSK are wounded, hungry for a win and haven’t preyed on their home ground for a while. Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner and Moeen Ali are potent spinners who could prove to be a big challenge for LSG batsmen in the middle overs.
Ruturaj Gaikwad also looked good against the Titans with an impressive 92 off 50.
LSG met CSK once last season. KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock combined for a fluent 99 at the top to help LSG chase down 210 with six wickets and three balls to spare.
De Kock, however, will not be available for this match due to South Africa’s home series against the Netherlands, reported LSG portal.
Ravi Bishnoi (2/24) and Avesh Khan (2/38) were our pick of the bowlers against Chennai last year. However, that match was played on the high-scoring tracks of Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. The average first-innings score at MA Chidambaram Stadium in T20s is 162.6. (UNI)
