It seems like Chennai Super Kings had a mixed start to their IPL 2023 campaign, with a loss to Gujarat Titans but with some promising performances from new players. Ben Stokes, who was expected to make a big impact, didn’t have a great start but it’s early days yet. Meanwhile, young pacer Rajvardhan Hangargekar was impressed with his three wickets for 36. The biggest positive for CSK was Ruturaj Gaikwad’s explosive innings of 92 off just 50 balls. Gaikwad struggled to get going last season, but this inning could be a sign of things to come.
In their next match, Chennai Super Kings will be playing at their home ground, the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, which is known to be a fortress for them. They will be up against Lucknow Super Giants, who had a convincing win over Delhi Capitals in their first game. It will be interesting to see how the two teams match up against each other and whether CSK can bounce back from their opening loss.
The Chennai Super Kings struggled in their opening match of IPL 2023, with many of their key all-rounders such as Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Mitchell Santner, and Moeen Ali not performing well. However, the biggest concern for the team was their weak pace attack, with Deepak Chahar failing to take any wickets and conceding 15 runs in the crucial 19th over of the match against Gujarat Titans.
While Rajvardhan Hangargekar was impressive with three wickets, Tushar Deshpande, who came in as a substitute for Ambati Rayudu, struggled and gave away 51 runs in just 20 balls. Captain MS Dhoni did not use his sixth bowling options in Dube, Moeen, and Stokes, which turned out to be a costly mistake.
Chennai will be without the services of Sisanda Magala, Matheesha Pathirana, and Maheesh Theekshana for one more game, so they are likely to stick with the same playing eleven for their next match.
On the other hand, Lucknow Super Giants had a great start to their IPL 2023 campaign with a big win over Delhi Capitals in their third match of the tournament. The debutants, Kyle Mayers, Mark Wood, and Nicholas Pooran all played a key role in the victory. Mayers scored a quickfire 73 off just 38 balls while opening the innings with captain KL Rahul in the absence of Quinton de Kock. Pooran, who was a big-money signing for the team, played a crucial cameo of 36 runs off 21 balls to help Lucknow post a challenging total of 193/6 while batting first.
In the previous match, CSK’s all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Mitchell Santner, and Moeen Ali struggled, but the biggest concern was their weak pace attack. Deepak Chahar was not able to take any wickets and conceded 15 runs in the 19th over, proving costly for the team. Tushar Deshpande, the third-choice pacer, replaced Ambati Rayudu but conceded 51 runs off 20 balls. Despite having options in Dube, Moeen, and Stokes, MS Dhoni didn’t use his sixth bowling options, which proved to be a costly decision.
CSK will likely stick with the same playing eleven for the upcoming game since Sisanda Magala, Matheesha Pathirana, and Maheesh Theekshana are still out of the team.
Lucknow Super Giants started the season with a big win over Delhi Capitals, with Mayers, Pooran, and Wood making a big impact for the team. Mayers smashed 73 runs off 38 balls, while Pooran added 36 off 21 to help Lucknow post a total of 193/6. Mark Wood, who missed IPL 2022 due to injury, took five wickets, including Prithvi Shaw and Mitchell Marsh. Bishni and Khan also took two wickets each, restricting the Capitals to just 143/9.
In their only previous encounter, Lucknow Super Giants won against CSK in a last-over thriller during IPL 2022 group-stage fixture, where De Kock’s 61 off 45 helped the team chase a 211-run target.
CSK has been successful at MA Chidambaram Stadium in the past and will look to make up for their previous defeat against Lucknow Super Giants. Ruturaj Gaikwad will be a crucial player for CSK, who struggled in the previous season but started this season with a fantastic 92 off 50 against the Titans. Mark Wood will be key for Lucknow Super Giants if he remains fit this season, and his five-wicket haul against the Capitals demonstrated his potential.
Predicted Playing XI
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni ©, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Rajvardhan Hangagekar
Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul ©, Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Krunal Pandya, Ayush Badoni, Mark Wood, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Jayadev Unadkat
Lucknow Super Giants are the favorites for this game since they won their previous match by a significant margin. Both teams have quality spin options available, which could benefit them as the pitch is expected to be slow after powerplay overs. Lucknow’s motivation will be high since they won their last encounter against CSK and have started the season on a high note.
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