Chennai Super Kings return to their stronghold, eyes on victory against Lucknow
After losing the first match, Chennai Super Kings will take on Lucknow Super Giants at their stronghold Chepauk Stadium on Monday, then their aim will be to open the account of victory in this season. The four-time champion team captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni has returned here after four years. There is a lot of enthusiasm among the spectators and the whole stadium will be painted in Chennai yellow color tomorrow. Chennai were defeated by Gujarat Titans in the first match despite Ruturaj Gaikwad’s brilliant innings.
Chennai fans will be hoping for a better performance from the rest of the batsmen who failed in the first match. England superstar Ben Stokes, bought in the IPL auction for Rs 16.25 crore, will be eager to prove his worth in the first home game. Apart from the slow run-rate in the middle overs, the form of the bowlers is also a cause of concern for Dhoni. It is a matter of relief for Chennai that the match is being held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium where the role of spinners can be important. The same was seen in the third ODI between India and Australia played here ten days ago.
Ravindra Jadeja and Mitchell Santner were not impressive in the first match but will be trying to get back into the rhythm here. Chennai can also field an additional spinner. With Sri Lanka’s Mahish Teekshana not available for the first three games, it remains to be seen who gets a chance. On the other hand, KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants registered a huge win over Delhi Capitals on Saturday. Kyle Myers batted stormy and Mark Wood took five wickets. Apart from Myers in batting, captain Rahul, Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis will also be eyeing.
At the same time, the role of Ravi Bishnoi and K Gautam will be important along with Wood in bowling. Squads: Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Sisanda Magala, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Dwayne Pretorius, Ahya Mandal, Nishant Sindhu , Rajvardhan Hangergekar, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Simarjit Singh, Mathisa Pathirana, Mahish Teekshana, Bhagat Verma, Prashant Solanki, Sheikh Rashid, Tushar Deshpande.
Lucknow Super Giants: Lokesh Rahul (Captain), Kyle Myers, Deepak Hooda, Kunal Pandya, Amit Mishra, Nicholas Pooran, Naveen Ul Haq, Ayush Badoni, Avesh Khan, Karan Sharma, Yudhveer Charak, Yash Thakur, Romario Shepherd, Mark Wood, Swapnil Singh, Manan Vohra, Daniel Symes, Prerak Mankad, Krishnappa Gautam, Jaydev Unadkat, Marcus Stoinis, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav. The match will start at 07:30 pm Indian time.
