Chennai end longest IPL losing streak against Pooran’s LSG

LUCKNOW, India:

Chennai Super Kings ended their longest ever losing streak by stopping the Lucknow Super Giants' three-match winning run in the Indian Premier League yesterday.

A day after Chennai coach Stephen Fleming said Mahendra Singh Dhoni didn't have a magic wand, the new captain proved the claim wrong by scoring a robust 26 not out off 11 balls to get them over the finish line with three balls left. He was supported by impact player Shivam Dube, 43 not out.

Chennai scored 168-5 after Lucknow's lowest total of the season, 166-7, winning by five wickets after five straight losses.

Lucknow clawed their way back through spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Digvesh Rathi in the middle overs. But in the death overs, Bishnoi, 2-18, wasn't given a fourth and final over. Instead, the pacers were, and Dhoni and Dube punished them in a 57-run partnership off 28 balls.

Shardul Thakur was notably expensive with figures of 0-56.

After the tight win, five-time champions Chennai remained at the bottom of the table and Lucknow were fourth.

DUBE, DHONI DASH

Opening batter Shaik Rasheed replaced Devon Conway and smashed six fours in his IPL debut. Along with Rachin Ravindra's 37, they gave Chennai's chase a brisk start of 52 off 29 balls. But when they were dismissed, Chennai's brittle middle order was exposed again.

Bishnoi and Rathi dismissed Rahul Tripathi, Ravindra Jadeja and Vijay Shankar for single-digit scores before Dhoni joined Dube and Chennai still needing 56 off the final five overs.

Before the match, Fleming tried to tamper expectations of a turnaround in Chennai's fortunes from making the veteran Dhoni the replacement captain for the injured Ruturaj Gaikwad. But Dhoni's cameo of four boundaries and a six were exactly what Chennai needed.

DANGEROUS POORAN

Chennai fast bowlers Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj clipped Lucknow early when they dismissed Aiden Markram and the dangerous Nicholas Pooran.

Tripathi grabbed a stunning two-handed catch over his shoulders after he sprinted from the covers when Markram top-edged Khaleel in the first over. Kamboj pinned Pooran plumb leg before while bowling round the wicket.

Rishabh Pant, who has been struggling for runs since taking over the reins of the Lucknow captaincy, started confidently until Afghanistan wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad bowled 10 dot balls to the left-hander.

Pant opened up after reaching 40 off 39 balls when he smashed successive sixes off fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana and raised a 42-ball half-century. But he fell to the Sri Lanka pacer in the final over when he top-edged a slower ball.

Cameos from Mitchell Marsh and Ayush Badoni were undone by Jadeja, Abdul Samad was run out in the final over, and Lucknow's total was about 10-15 runs below par. - AP