Mitchell Marsh stole the show from Akash Singh and dominated the CSK bowlers from the start. Mitchell Marsh tore them apart inside the power play as he played a sublime innings of 90 runs off 38 balls to give the team hope. Earlier in the evening, Akash Singh starred with 3 wickets while Kartik Sharma of CSK played well for his 71, while Shivam Dube finished things off in style, getting 23 runs in the final over as CSK managed 187/5 in 20 overs.
In reply, LSG came out all guns blazing with Mitchell Marsh leading the way and ably supported by Josh Inglis. The duo massacred the power play, scoring 86 in 6 overs and then added 135 for the first wicket. The game was as good as over by then, but CSK made a match out of it. Marsh made 90, and that powered CSK to a big total from here.
Kartik Sharma’s breathtaking knock helps CSK post a fighting 187/5 in 20 overs
Put into bat first, keeper batter Sanju Samson and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad came out to open the batting for CSK while Mohammed Shami had the ball in hand for LSG. Samson was quickly off the blocks as he hit three boundaries in the first over against Shami. Ruturaj also got a couple of boundaries away as CSK got a decent start. The duo put on 31 for the first wicket inside 4 overs before Gaikwad fell for 13 off 9 balls with 2 fours to his name to Akash Singh.
Urvil Patel came out to bat next. Samson too fell soon, as just 5 runs were added to the tally before Samson fell for 20 off 20 balls with 3 fours to his name to Akash Singh, who was on a roll. Kartik Sharma walked out to bat at 4 and got off the mark as CSK limped to 37/2 in 6 overs of power play. Urvil managed to get a boundary away while Kartik played his shots. The duo of Urvil and Kartik put on 16 runs for the 3rd wicket before Urvil fell for 6 off 7 balls with a boundary to his name once again to the short ball off Akash Singh, who had three wickets.
Dewald Brevis came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway with a maximum over covers. Kartik and Brevis then got together and repaired the innings for CSK. CSK were 71/3 in 10 overs at the halfway stage of the innings. It was the Kartik Sharma show as the right-hander really stole the show in Lucknow and was impressive. Brevis complemented him really well. The duo aced the middle overs phase and upped the ante.
Kartik did the bulk of the scoring and completed his fifty in 35 balls. Brevis hit some boundaries from time to time. The duo added a vital 70 runs for the 4th wicket before Brevis fell for 25 off 16 balls with 2 sixes to his name to Shami as the veteran bowler hit back after being taken to the cleaners by Kartik. Shivam Dube came out to bat next. He got off the mark soon.
Kartik took the attack to Shahbaz and hit him for 15 runs before the spinner had the last laugh. The duo of Dube and Kartik Sharma added 20 runs for the 5th wicket before Kartik fell for a magnificent 71 off 42 balls with 6 fours and 5 sixes to his name to Shahbaz Ahmed. Prashant Veer came out to bat next. LSG pulled it back post Kartik’s dismissal. They bowled 2 good decent overs before Veer, after getting his eye in, played an innovative shot, and Dube too started hitting the lusty blows. Then the final over was given to Prince Yadav.
Dube teed off by hitting sixes and fours for fun as 23 runs came off the final over of the innings. Veer was a mere spectator at the other end. The duo added 45 runs in the last 24 balls and 23 off them in the final over of the innings as Dube finished things off in style with the maximum. Dube finished unbeaten on 32 off 16 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes to his name, while Veer was unbeaten on 13 off 10 balls with one four to his name. 7 extras given by the fielding side, and all of them were wides. CSK finished with a competitive 187/5 in 20 overs.
LSG had a good day with the ball. Akash Singh was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/26 in 4 overs. Mohammed Shami finished with 1/41 in 4 overs. Shahbaz Ahmed finished with 1/45 in 4 overs. Mayank Yadav bowled well for his 0/26 in 4 overs. Prince Yadav finished with 0/49 in 4 overs. So, this meant that LSG needed 188 runs to win off 20 overs.
Mitchell Marsh’s marvellous 90 crushes CSK and wins LSG the contest by 7 wicketsÂ
Chasing 188 for the win, Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis came out to open for LSG while Mukesh Choudhary had the ball in hand for CSK. It was the Mitchell Marsh show from the get-go. Inglis, too, started strong, but Marsh just was on a different planet. Marsh and Inglis were playing on a different pitch altogether. The duo just smashed whoever came their way.
Anshul Kamboj was up for special treatment, as he was smashed for 4 sixes in a row and a boundary, as 28 came off the over. No bowler stood a chance in the power play as the LSG team got to 86/0 in 6 overs, and there was no way back for CSK after this. The duo not only aced the power play but went beyond that as no bowler was able to take a wicket. The duo crossed the 100-run mark and partnership inside 8 overs. They made sure LSG went hammer and tongs and took the score to 124 in 10 overs.
The duo added 135 for the first wicket before CSK finally got a wicket. Inglis was dismissed by Mukesh Choudhary for 36 off 32 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name. Nicholas Pooran came out to bat next. The score stayed at 135 when Mitchell Marsh was unfortunately run out for 90 off 38 balls with 9 fours and 7 sixes to his name, backing up at the bowler’s end. Abdul Samad came out to bat next. Samad came and hit a maximum but was dismissed soon.
The duo of Pooran and Samad added 9 runs for the third wicket before Samad fell for 7 off 3 balls with one six to his name as he was cleaned up by Spencer Johnson. Mukul Choudhary came out to bat next. Mukul came and got a lucky boundary away and got an authoritative shot away as well. The duo batted sensibly and took their time since the required rate was not a problem at all.
They took the game deep. The required rate was run a ball with 4 overs left, and the Strategic Time Out was taken after which Anshul Kamboj came and was dispatched as Pooran entered his zone. He hit four back-to-back sixes, with one being dropped and parried over the bar. But Pooran finished it off in style with those 4 sixes in a row as LSG got over the line with 7 wickets and 20 balls to spare.
LSG finished with 188/3 in 16.4 overs with Pooran unbeaten on 32 off 17 balls with one four and 4 sixes to his name. Mukul Choudhary finished with an unbeaten 13 off 10 balls with 2 fours to his name. 10 extras given by the fielding side.
It was a bad day in the office for the CSK bowlers. Mukesh Choudhary finished with 1/24 in 3 overs. Spencer Johnson finished with 1/39 in 4 overs. Noor Ahmad finished with economical figures of 0/21 in 4 overs. Impact Player Gurjapneet Singh finished with figures of 0/34 in 3 overs. Anshul Kamboj had a horrible day with the ball in hand, with figures of 0/63 in 2.4 overs. So, LSG upstage CSK by 7 wickets with 20 balls to spare. Mitchell Marsh was awarded the Player of the Match Award.
What Lies Ahead
So, LSG upstage CSK and dent their playoff prospects, winning by 7 wickets with 20 balls to spare. Both teams have two games left in the league stage. LSG next faces RR in Jaipur before facing PBKS in their final league game in Lucknow. All is not lost for CSK. They have two games left. One against SRH in Chennai and the other one is in Ahmedabad against GT. Tomorrow night, the action returns to Eden Gardens, Kolkata, where KKR takes on GT.
KKR still has slim hopes alive, while GT will want to win and seal the playoff spot officially. Hopefully, the weather stays away, and we get a good game in Kolkata, as it rained with thunder and lightning on match eve. Let’s see how things unfold in Kolkata.
Also Read: LSG VS CSK: Kartik Sharma’s Breath-Taking Innings Helps CSK Post Fighting 187/5.