"MS finishes off in style in Chennai" - LSG's amusing praise of Marcus Stoinis for match-winning knock vs CSK in IPL 2024
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) social media handles praised Marcus Stoinis for his match-winning century against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with a witty comment involving the legendary MS Dhoni.
Chasing a mammoth 211 for victory, LSG pulled off a stunning upset at the Chepauk in the final over with six wickets in hand on Tuesday, April 23. Stoinis came into bat in the first over of the run-chase at No. 3 and finished unbeaten on 124 off 63 deliveries.
His knock was studded with 13 boundaries and six maximums and had social media buzzing in excitement.
LSG took to their official X handle and posted:
"MS finishes off in style in Chennai!".
It is a well-known fact that Dhoni is renowned for his finishing ability in white-ball cricket.
Meanwhile, Stoinis had his breakthrough moment this season after a string of mediocre performances. It took his overall tally to 254 runs at an average of over 42 and a strike rate of 159.74 in eight games.
Earlier in the game, CSK was led by a scintillating 108* off 60 from skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and a quick-fire 27-ball 66 from Shivam Dube.
"It was great Pooran could come in and take the pressure off" - Marcus Stoinis
Marcus Stoinis credited West Indian batter Nicholas Pooran for his crucial cameo in LSG pulling off the incredible run chase against CSK.
Pooran walked in with the side needing a daunting 123 off 54 and scored a well-paced 15-ball 34 in a 70-run partnership with Stoinis.
Stoinis said at the post-match presentation:
"It’s not just go go go, there were some bowlers we wanted to target and some bowlers we wanted to be more cautious against. There was a phase where I wasn’t able to hit the boundaries so it was great Pooran could come in and take the pressure off. Lots of ebbs and flows, just tried to keep it in control. You’re planning and structuring, you're not liking certain bowlers and you’re liking others more."
The win was LSG's fifth in eight outings, helping them break into the top four on the points table. Meanwhile, CSK slipped to fifth after their second consecutive defeat, both against LSG.
LSG will take on table-toppers Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their next encounter on Saturday, April 27.