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Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad reflected on their win over Lucknow Super Giants, saying that chasing a target of 200 was always likely to be a tough contest stretching into the death overs.
He highlighted CSK's strong start in the powerplay but noted that the surface made stroke-making difficult for incoming batters. Gaikwad added that despite a few nervy moments, the team stayed composed to get over the line, marking a welcome return to successfully chasing a big total. Chasing a big target of 204 runs, Urvil Patel smashed the 13-ball joint-fastest half-century of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to help the CSK register a comprehensive five-wicket victory against LSG at the M A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday. First time since 2019, CSK have successfully chased down a 180+ target. "Yes (got too close), but at the end, chasing 200, when you start the innings, it will always go to the 18th or the 19th or the 20th over. We started really well in the power play, but it was a bit tacky for a new batter to just go in and play the shots. But we must get the job done. It's been a while since we chased 200, so good to chase it," Gaikwad said after the match. Gaikwad praised LSG opener Josh Inglis for his exceptional batting performance, saying CSK had no real answers to the quality and innovation of his shots. CSK skipper admitted the team struggled to plan or set fields against Inglis as he played a standout knock. Inglis smashed a rapid 85 off 33 balls, including 10 fours and 6 massive sixes. Gaikwad added that the turning point came after the first strategic timeout following the power-play, when Sanju Samson urged the team to stage a comeback and restrict the opposition, which lifted the players' morale. From there, CSK focused on taking wickets and regaining control of the game. He further highlighted the impact of the middle overs, praising Noor Ahmad and Jamie Overton for their tight spells between overs 6 to 10, which helped pull the match back in CSK's favour. "Huge credit and hats off to Josh Inglis. I think he played some amazing shots, which we actually didn't have any answer to, and you can't quite plan for it, or you can't quite set a field for it. He just played an amazing knock. Hats off to him. But after the first time-out, Sanju just came in, and he said, if we have it in us, we have to make a comeback here and try and restrict them as low as possible. So whatever around 220, it was still fine. So I think that just pumped us, everyone. And after that, it was just about getting those wickets, slowly getting into the game. So I think everyone was eager to make a comeback after the first time-out, and I feel that's the commitment or that determination that really changed the course of the game. So we thought, let's get our best bowlers for the next three or four overs and see how it goes after that. And I think that six to ten overs, Noor and Jamie bowled really well. They just pulled it back really well," he added. For CSK, Jamie Overton (3/36), Anshul Kamboj (2/47), and Noor Ahmad (1/24) were among the wicket takers. With this win, CSK plunged to fifth place with six wins in 11 matches. On the other hand, LSG remain at the bottom of the points table with just three wins in 11 matches. (ANI)
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