LSG vs CSK Highlights, IPL 2023: Lucknow Super Giants, Chennai Super Kings share points as match called off due to rain | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Rain joined the Indian Premier League 2023 party on Wednesday, forcing the first called off match of the season in Lucknow.
Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings were forced to share a point each after their match at the Ekana stadium ended in ‘no result’ due to incessant rain. Both the teams moved up a slot each in the IPL standings — LSG at 2nd and CSK at 3rd with 11 points each. LSG (+0.639) have a slightly better net run rate compared to CSK (+0.329).
As it happened: Lucknow vs Chennai
The game began after a 15-minute delay due to wet outfield and the rain returned in the final over of the first innings to stop the proceedings. The rain continued after that forcing the officials to call off the match.
At the time of rain stoppage, hosts LSG were 125/7 in 19.2 overs with middle-order batter Ayush Badoni playing on 59 not out, off 33 balls.
Badoni stood tall amidst the ruins with a classy half-century on a poor surface before a sharp downpour stopped the play. This is the first game in the 16th edition of IPL that had to be called off midway due to rain.

When rain came, Badoni, who came in at 44 for 5, had put his team in a position of respectability on a very difficult surface.
Badoni smashed two fours and four sixes in his 33-ball-59 and his temperament on a surface conducive for slow bowlers was worth its weight in gold as it didn’t seem at one point that LSG could cross the 120-run mark.
It was a good toss to win for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the CSK skipper’s decision to bowl first was vindicated by his bowlers on a surface that is certainly not good enough for an absorbing T20 contest.
Most of the balls were gripping off the surface and the batters found it extremely difficult to hit through the line unlike in other surfaces as Moeen Ali 2/13 in 4 overs), Ravindra Jadeja (1/11 in 3 overs) and Maheesh Theekshana (2/37 in 4 overs) kept them under tight leash and also got wickets at regular intervals.

Such was their dominance that the first six of the innings came in the 15th over when Badoni, coming in at No.7, slog swept Sri Lankan spinner Theekshana over mid-wicket and got another maximum in the next over to get some momentum going for his team.
Dhoni, who rightly assessed the track as “tacky”, got Moeen into the attack in the fourth over and a flighted delivery inviting Kyle Mayers (14) to break the shackles did the trick as he could only mistime a skier to Ruturaj Gaikwad in the deep.
Manan Vohra (10) tried a non-existent lap-shot and Krunal Pandya was snapped at slip by Ajinkya Rahane.

The ball of the innings was certainly bowled by Jadeja, who got one to turn sharply as Marcus Stoinis drew forward only to find the ball turn sharply past his outside edge and peg the off-stump.
Karan Sharma’s 16-ball stay for a painstaking 9 was indeed a struggle before he offered a return catch to Moeen Ali.
Badoni and Nicholas Pooran (20) then added 59 for the sixth wicket.
(With inputs from PTI)