In a gripping encounter between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Match 39 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Marcus Stoinis showcased an extraordinary performance, steering his team to a thrilling victory at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.

Stoinis’ Heroics against CSK

Marcus Stoinis entered the fray after an early setback in the chase. Despite losing opener Quinton de Kock cheaply, Stoinis formed crucial partnerships, notably with captain KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal, stabilizing the innings.

See Also: Watch: Yashasvi Jaiswal shares warm hug with legendary Brian Lara after match-winning knock

Stoinis’ innings gained momentum as he reached his fifty in the 10th over. Despite Matheesha Pathirana’s breakthrough, Stoinis continued his assault, eventually notching up his maiden IPL century in 56 balls.

With the match poised on a knife’s edge, Stoinis unleashed a flurry of boundaries in the final over, capitalizing on a no-ball opportunity to secure a sensational six-wicket win for LSG, remaining unbeaten at 124 runs off just 63 deliveries.

LSG Innings

Starting the chase, the LSG batters faced an early setback as opener Quinton de Kock departed on a duck; Marcus Stoinis then joined forces with captain KL Rahul, forming a 33-run partnership until Rahul fell in the 5th over to a delivery from Mustafizur Rahman. Rahul managed 16 runs off 14 balls.

Devdutt Padikkal then partnered with Stoinis, constructing another resilient partnership for the visitors. Together, they accumulated 55 runs off 39 deliveries before Padikkal was dismissed by Pathirana on the final ball of the 10th over. After 16 overs, LSG’s score was 157/3.

Matheesha Pathirana provided another breakthrough for CSK by dismissing Nicholas Pooran, who looked in sublime touch. He departed the crease after contributing 24 runs off just 15 balls. Both Pooran and Stoinis had stitched a robust 70-run stand off 34 deliveries.

In the 18th over of the match, Marcus Stoinis electrified the field by smashing his maiden IPL century in a mere 56 balls. Stoinis launched the final over with a powerful six, setting the tone for what would come. He hammered three consecutive boundaries, securing a sensational 6-wicket victory for the visiting team. He remained unbeaten at 124 runs off just 63 deliveries.

Chennai’s Innings

In the first innings, Ruturaj Gaikwad slammed his second century of the IPL career while Shivam Dube blazed to a blistering 66 off 27 deliveries, which took Chennai Super Kings to 210/4.

Asked to bat first by the visitors, Chennai suffered an early setback as Matt Henry provided LSG the first breakthrough and took Ajinkya Rahane’s wicket. Chennai Super Kings were 48/1 after five overs. It was a mixed bag of a day in the field for LSG. While Rahul took an excellent catch, Thakur dropped Mitchell at short third and Henry failed to grab a much difficult chance at the same position. 

Later, Deepak Hooda took a superb catch to dismiss Daryl Mitchell. Mitchell departed after scoring 11 runs. Ravindra Jadeja was the new batter. CSK were 85/2 after 10 overs.

Gaikwad’s Exceptional Performance

The in-form Shivam Dube walked to the crease and straightaway sent his fourth delivery for the first maximum of the innings after 12.5 overs. Dube latched onto Yash Thakur and hammered him for three successive sixes in the 16th over. Dube moved to 37 off just 15 balls, and CSK were 154/3 after 16. It was an excellent innings from Gaikwad – he slammed his sixth hundred in T20 cricket, which came off 56 balls, after a sequence of 6, 4, 4 against Yash Thakur. 

In the 19th over, Dube smashed two fours and a six against Mohsin, bringing up his fifty off just 22 balls. Both batters added 104 runs for the fourth-wicket partnership in just 46 deliveries. Dube started the final with a six off Stoinis but was run out for 66 off 27 with two balls left in the innings. That brought MS Dhoni to the middle. Gaikwad took a single on the penultimate ball, and Dhoni, as he has done throughout this season, finished off in style with a boundary.

Most IPL hundreds in defeats
3 – Virat Kohli
2 – Hashim Amla
2 – Sanju Samson
2 – Ruturaj Gaikwad

Gaikwad is the only one score a hundred in a losing cause for CSK.

Most individual hundreds in an IPL match
2 – RCB vs GL, Bengaluru, 2016
2 – SRH vs RCB, Hyderabad, 2019
2 – SRH vs RCB, Hyderabad, 2023
2 – RCB vs GT, Bengaluru, 2023
2 – RR vs RCB, Jaipur, 2024
2 – KKR vs RR, Kolkata, 2024
2 – CSK vs LSG, Chennai, 2024

Highest individual scores in IPL run-chases
124* – Marcus Stoinis (LSG) vs CSK, Chennai, 2024
120* – Paul Valthaty (PBKS) vs CSK, Mohali, 2011
119 – Virender Sehwag (DC) vs Deccan Chargers, Hyderabad, 2011
119 – Sanju Samson (RR) vs PBKS, Mumbai WS, 2021
117* – Shane Watson (CSK) vs SRH, Mumbai WS, 2018 final

Highest individual scores for LSG
140* – Quinton de Kock vs KKR, Mumbai DYP, 2022
124* – Marcus Stoinis vs CSK, Chennai, 2024
103* – KL Rahul vs MI, Brabourne, 2022
103* – KL Rahul vs MI, Mumbai WS, 2022
89* – Marcus Stoinis vs MI, Lucknow, 2023

124* is also the highest individual score against CSK in the IPL, bettering Virender Sehwag’s 122 for PBKS at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai in the 2014 Qualifier 2.

Highest targets successfully chased in last six overs (IPL)
96 – RR vs KKR, Kolkata, 2024
92 – RR vs PBKS, Sharjah, 2020
89 – MI vs CSK, Delhi, 2021
87 – LSG vs CSK, Chennai, 2024
86 – KKR vs RCB, Bengaluru, 2019

Successful 200-plus run-chases at Chepauk in the IPL
211 – LSG vs CSK, 2024
206 – CSK vs RCB, 2012
203 – CSK vs KKR, 2018
201 – PBKS vs CSK, 2023

Highest successful run-chases for LSG (by targets)
213 vs RCB, Bengaluru, 2023
211 vs CSK, Brabourne, 2022
211 vs CSK, Chennai, 2024
183 vs SRH, Hyderabad, 2023
177 vs CSK, Lucknow, 2024

Successful 200-plus run-chases against CSK (by targets)
219 – By 4 wickets – MI, Delhi, 2021
211 – By 6 wickets – LSG, Brabourne, 2022
211 – By 6 wickets – LSG, Chennai, 2024
206 – By 6 wickets – PBKS, Abu Dhabi, 2014
201 – By 4 wickets – PBKS, Chennai, 2023