CSK vs LSG game was done and dusted in the powerplay of the run-chase itself, says Raina 

Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) qualification chances were blown away in the powerplay itself as Mitchell Marsh took on the rival attack to power Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to a seven-wicket win in Lucknow on Friday evening.

Marsh was at his brutal best as he toyed with the Chennai pace attack. At Australian hammered 90 off 38 balls with nine fours and seven sixes. He shared a 135-run opening partnership with Josh Inglis (36) that set up the comfortable victory and put Chennai Super Kings on the backfoot again.

Former India player Suresh Raina was all praise for Mitchell Marsh’s performance with the bat. “”Mitchell Marsh was pure class and is just a brutal force when he is on full song. What stands out is his ability to pick the length early. The way he struck the ball over the on side was brilliant. Some of his sixes were soaring 85 to 90 meters high. It wasn’t just about the distance. The flat trajectory he hit with made it even harder for the bowlers. He didn’t get much support in the early part of the season when it came to scoring runs. He did the bulk of the scoring and found a solid partner in Josh Inglis in this game. Together, they built a 135-run partnership that turned the match completely one-sided,” Raina said on Star Sports Amul Cricket Live show.  

Josh Inglis and Mitchell Marsh shared a 135-run opening partnership that blew Chennai Super Kings’ chances

On how LSG took the game away from CSK in the powerplay itself, he said: “The game was done and dusted in the powerplay itself of the run-chase when Lucknow scored 86 runs in the first six overs. If Chennai had any hope of pulling things back, it was through Anshul Kamboj because Akeal Hosein was not part of the playing XI, not even used as an impact sub. So, it meant that it was all pace.

“As Josh Inglis mentioned in the post-match chat, the ball was sliding onto the bat nicely off Anshul Kamboj’s deliveries, which helped strokeplay quite well compared to the other bowlers. So, he was the bowler who was clearly targeted, having gone for 63 runs in less than three overs. A terrific effort from both Nicholas Pooran and Mitchell Marsh as they made sure with their four back-to-back sixes that Anshul Kamboj could never make an impact into the game, both at the start or towards the end,” he added.

On Akash Singh’s fiery opening spell, Raina said:  “It was wonderful to see a young bowler come in and bowl with so much fire and energy. Akash found the right length consistently. It looked like he had done his homework. He executed his plans well against Sanju Samson and the other CSK batters. Picking up three wickets was key in restricting Chennai to just 187 runs. This season has seen many uncapped Indian fast bowlers perform well. It is great to see so many young seamers coming through the ranks in the IPL.”