Catalyzed by 'dew'ine intervention - LSG conquer Chepauk courtesy of Marcus Stoinis' bravado
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) KL Rahul mentioned during the toss that they do not need to make a dedicated effort to quieten the Chepauk crowd, they always appreciate good cricket. Call it foreshadowing, coincidence, or even a spoiler alert, but the crowd did witness something really special, unfortunately for them, it was not from the home side.
The evening culminated with the highest chase at the venue as well as the highest score in a successful run chase, but it was both in favor of LSG as they scripted a historic double over CSK in the space of just four days.
Although there was not a unanimous standing ovation for Marcus Stoinis' heroics after he hammered the final nail in the coffin, it was partly due to shock. The general emotion towards the opposition was silent admiration rather than anger, which is always great to see.
The very first move that led to the famous win for LSG, perhaps one of their greatest ever, was the decision to send Stoinis at No. 3. The Australian all-rounder is no stranger to the role, but has had enough failures in the past to doubt himself, but luckily for the visitors, he did not.
Stoinis has had mixed memories batting at the top of the order, with the biggest scar being his duck in the 2020 final against the Mumbai Indians. The last time he batted in the top three was during the 2021 season against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
On that occasion, he was bowled by Shivam Mavi for 18 runs off 23 deliveries. He averaged only 8 at No. 3 in the IPL, and that number is about to get a huge boost after one of the greatest innings at the Chepauk.
Stoinis is no stranger to batting in the top order, even after taking the IPL out of the equation. He has opened and played at No. 3 for Australia in the past, and in the Big Bash League (BBL) for the Melbourne Stars too. He has scored an unbeaten 147, which remains the second-highest score in the competition's history.
"Full credit to Stoinis. It was not just power-hitting, it was very clever batting. He picked his bowlers and played very well," KL Rahul said during the post-match presentation
The key phrase here is 'clever batting'. Stoinis could not just bludgeon away as if finishing an innings. He showed that there is just a hint, the faintest of traces, of the school of batting, where power is not everything. Ruturaj Gaikwad showcased the same in the first innings as well, but while that was all class, Stoinis' act was an ascending act of classic to modern.
Primarily sent to boost the scoring in the powerplay, Stoinis played some low-risk, high-result shots against the pacers to lay down a solid foundation for himself. His first six did not come until his 21st delivery at the crease.
This encompassed the first stage of his innings. The second phase included the assault on the spinners and forging a partnership with Nicholas Pooran. The third act, the innings rightly progressing into the modern route, witnessed a flurry of boundaries to steer LSG home.
Stoinis' exploits come across as a final piece in the jig-saw in terms of their long-term batting woes. The lack of runs at the No. 3 position has been a huge problem for LSG over time, it has always led to the early exposure of the middle order.
Hooda's success with the position in the 2022 season seems a lifetime ago. Since then, the likes of Manish Pandey, Devdutt Padikkal, Krunal Pandya, and Prerak Mankad have all been tried and tested. Padikkal's acquisition through a trade was specifically aimed at their No. 3 crisis, as they already had openers in stock.
However, with Padikkal being a walking wicket this season, and the format evolving at a rapid pace, Stoinis might be the perfect No.3 that they have among their ranks. Since LSG have a strong middle order, they can actually afford to send Stoinis up the order.
The finishing duties can be handled by the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, and even Krunal Pandya to an extent. This gives Stoinis to go hard at the top, which is the one thing that the side were lacking, as highlighted by KL Rahul during the post-match presentation.
How did playing it safe almost make LSG sorry?
Spinners only bowled a total of eight overs out of almost 40 at the Chepauk, and since dew played a massive role in the second innings only four overs of spin was perhaps warranted for CSK, like the skipper justified in the post-match presentation.
"It played a part, there was a huge amount of dew and it took our spinners out of the game. We could have otherwise controlled the game better and taken it deeper. But these are parts of the game, can’t control it," Gaikwad said.
CSK had a bankable seam bowling unit to turn to when the spin bowling was negated by dew, but what about LSG?
LSG could have tapped a bit more into their spin bowling reserves. Granted it was not a rank turner, but surely being a frontline spinner at the famous venue still means something despite how the pitch and the game have changed.
In the 2023 edition meeting between the sides at the same venue, CSK had scored 217 runs, six more than what they mustered this time. On that occasion, Bishnoi bowled his full quota of overs, conceding 28 runs and taking three wickets. While the leg spinner is not having the best of seasons and the surface was not the same, but he certainly warranted more than just the one over he bowled in the middle overs.
The biggest argument against the spinners in the first innings was undoubtedly Shivam Dube. However, the left-handed batter surprisingly came in at No. 5 in the 12th over, after Jadeja was sent out at No. 4.
Even if he wasn't, what was the worst that could have happened had the spinners had a go against Dube? Perhaps they would have conceded a handful of sixes, some huge ones in line with what we have seen from Dube so far. But the real question is, would it have been any worse than how Dube went on to assault the pacers, scoring one of his fastest IPL fifties in the process?
Taking the runs and boundaries out of the equation, who had a better chance of dismissing Dube irrespective of when and how? The spin attack of Bishnoi and Krunal or the pace attack of Mohsin, Yash, and Stoinis? It has to be the former, as the latter did not even come close to dismissing him in their 27-ball effort against him.
How Rahul used the spinners was also quite puzzling. Bishnoi and Pandya bowled only four out of the first 15 overs, with one of those coming inside the powerplay. In fact, the spinners did not bowl in tandem at all over the course of the entire innings, at no stage was spin bowling on show from both ends.
With no real genuine pace in LSG's attack to trouble Dube with short balls, he was able to easily take down Stoinis and Thakur, who are glorified spinners themselves. Since Bishnoi and Pandya have had some success against Dube in the past (Bishnoi dismissed Dube in the 2023 IPL clash at the Chepauk), they could have been used at least in a defensive capacity.
There is an obvious paradox in store here since Dube prefers spinners, but when the alternatives are no good, why not trust what is remaining?
The puzzling duality of Krunal Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi - Not perfect, not pretty, not potent enough
Both are not the biggest turners of the ball, and they are quite unorthodox and unconventional in their own way. Bishnoi is adept with googlies (all the more reason for him to have at least one over against Dube) while Krunal Pandya prides himself on his accuracy, setting him apart from other spinners who look to flight the ball and extract turn off the surface.
The duo arguably comes across as a defensive option, particularly Krunal Pandya. Despite the evolution of the game, wickets in the middle overs remain as precious as ever. Even if Krunal fails to deliver in terms of wickets, much like he has this season with only five scalps in eight matches, he can set things up for other bowlers
In the pair's defense, this season arguably has been a forgettable one for the spinners so far.
LSG not without flaws, but only manageable flaws
'We looked like school children," remarked Nicholas Pooran in the dressing room post the historic win, and the blunt assessment was valid. LSG had dropped some sitters on the field and their bowling in the death overs was also quite ordinary.
It goes on to show that even historic wins can somehow have more faults than positives, but as long as the points keep coming and the right decisions are being made, LSG won't complain too much.
If successive wins over CSK won't give you confidence in the IPL, then what will? The interesting part is that LSG are arguably yet to function at their full capacity, and have often been carried by individual displays whether it be Mayank Yadav or Marcus Stoinis on this occasion.
As long as someone is putting their hand up, there is no reason to worry, but the day when everyone raises their hands, then there is a reason to worry - for the opposition.