Suryakumar Yadav applauds 'Hulk' Marcus Stoinis' awe-inspiring 124* in CSK vs LSG match of IPL 2024
Suryakumar Yadav hailed Marcus Stoinis who shone with the bat for the Luckow Super Giants (LSG) in their IPL 2024 clash against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday, April 23.
With LSG required to chase down an imposing 211-run target, Stoinis was promoted to the No. 3 spot. The Australian all-rounder stole the show with his blistering batting exploits, notching up an unbeaten century.
The right-handed batter scored 124* off just 63 balls, including six maximums and 13 fours, to take his team to a six-wicket win in the last-over thriller. Stoinis showcased exemplary composure under pressure when LSG needed 17 runs off the final over, finishing the game with three balls to spare.
Mumbai Indians' (MI) Suryakumar Yadav was mighty impressed by Stoins' blitzkrieg as he posted an Instagram story, praising the LSG star. He used a sticker of the superhero Hulk along with clapping emojis.
Marcus Stoinis has amassed 254 runs across eight outings at an average of 42.33 and a strike rate of 159.74 this season.
"There were some bowlers we wanted to target" - Marcus Stoinis on his batting approach against CSK
Marcus Stoinis was named the Player of the Match for his exceptional ton on Tuesday. Speaking at the post-match presentation, the 34-year-old said he picked certain bowlers to target.
He also suggested that Nicholas Pooran's quick-fire cameo helped take the pressure off him when he was struggling to hit boundaries. Stoinis said:
"In these competitions, there are plenty of better opening batters better than me so I’ll leave it to them. 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."
With their win over CSK, LSG moved to fourth place on the points table. The KL Rahul-led side have five wins to their name from eight outings.