IND T20 League 2023

CHE vs LUC, 6th Match

Preview

After losing the opening encounter of the 16th edition of the IND T20 League, MS-Dhoni-led Chennai is all set to take avenge against KL-Rahul-led Lucknow in the 6th match of the league on Monday, 03rd April at 07:30 PM IST from MA Chidambaram Stadium. One side will be heading for this match with a win and the other with a defeat.

The four-time league winner, captained by MS Dhoni, has returned to its home ground after four years. There is a lot of enthusiasm among the spectators and the whole stadium will be painted in Chennai yellow colour tomorrow for this match. However, it will be the first scenario when Chennai plays at Chepauk without Mr IND T20 League talisman for CHE Suresh Raina.

CHE was defeated by Hardik Pandya-led GUJ in the first match despite Ruturaj Gaikwad's brilliant innings. Chennai fans will be hoping for a better performance from the rest of the batters who failed in the first match. English all-rounder Ben Stokes, who was bought for Rs 16.25 crore in the league auction, will be eager to prove his worth in the first home match. Apart from the slow run rate in the middle overs, the form of the bowlers is also a cause of concern for Dhoni.

It is a matter of relief for CHE that the match is being held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium where the role of spinners can be important. The same was seen in the third ODI between India and Australia played here ten days back. The likes of Jadeja and Santner were not impressive in the first match but will be trying to get back in touch here. 

CHE will be eyeing to add a spinner against Lucknow. With Sri Lanka's Maheesh Tishkhana unavailable for the first three matches, it remains to be seen who gets a chance and who can play the role of an impact player in this match.

On the other hand, KL Rahul-led Lucknow registered a huge win over Delhi on Saturday in its first match of the league. Windies batter Kyle Myers batted stormy and English gun bowler Mark Wood took five wickets. 

Apart from Myers in batting, captain Rahul, Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis will be the big names that the LUC has for this match. At the same time, the likes of Ravi Bishnoi and K Gautam will be important along with Wood in bowling. Both sides have squared off in one match which took place in the 2022 IND T20 League where Lucknow emerged victorious, gaining a 1-0 lead in the head-to-head records.

Match Details

Match: CHE vs LUC, 6th Match, IND T20 League 2023

Date: Monday, April 03, 2023

Time: 07:30 PM

Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Pitch and Weather Report

This venue offers a spin-heavy track. Chepauk is usually flat and dry which opens up as the game proceeds to the second phase. There is little to no help for the pacers in a T20 fixture, however, the spinners enjoy their outing with significant help. The stats show defending is ideal at this venue, but teams will have to keep a check on the dew factor as well.

The team batting first on the ground of MA Chidambaram Stadium has full fun. Out of six matches, 5 matches have been won by the team which won the toss and decided to bat first. The average score in the first innings at this ground is 150, while the average score in the second innings becomes 119. That is, toss plays a very important role on this track.

The players will have to suffer heat during this time of the year in Chennai. The daytime usually records a peak in the temperature which can go up to 33 degrees in April. The temperature will go even further up in May, however, a cool breeze will be witnessed in the evening.

CHE vs LUC Squads

CHE: MS Dhoni (c), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Chowdhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Deepak Chahar, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Sisanda Magala, Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Varma.

LUC: KL Rahul (c), Ayush Badoni, Karan Sharma, Manan Vohra, Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Krishnappa Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Kyle Mayers, Krunal Pandya, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Nicholas Pooran, Jaydev Unadkat, Yash Thakur, Romario Shepherd, Daniel Sams, Amit Mishra, Prerak Mankad, Swapnil Singh, Naveen-ul-Haq, Yudhvir Charak

CHE vs LUC Probable Playing XIs

CHE: MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ambati Rayudu, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar

LUC: Avesh Khan, Nicholas Pooran, Kyle Mayers, KL Rahul, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Mark Wood, Jaydev Unadkat.

Match Prediction

This will be a very difficult match to predict as both CHE and LUC have terrific squads. Chennai and Lucknow have some of the strongest players playing in the IND T20 League at their disposal. However, going with the current form and confidence rate of the players, we predict that CHE is likely to win this keeping home condition as an advantage.

Top Fantasy Picks

It was Ruturaj Gaikwad's show against a strong Gujarat attack in the opening encounter. The 26-year-old opening batter is coming off one of the classiest 92 off 50 balls that one can ever witness in the league. He is going to be one of the top picks for this match as well.

English star all-rounder Moeen Ali will be vital on the Chepauk surfaces against Lucknow's selection of left-handers (Mayers, Pooran, Pandya). Also, in all T20s in 2022, the veteran batting all-rounder struck 1,263 runs at a strike rate of 149.29.

Mark Wood, the English bowler who scalped Five-wickets while conceding only 14 runs against Delhi, has taken 24 wickets in his last nine T20s. How Wood fares on the Chepauk pitch will be fascinating to see, especially if he can apply effective changes of pace.

Windies' left-handed destructive batter Kyle Mayers is coming off an excellent 73 off 38 balls against DEL. Mayers was dropped by Khaleel Ahmed on 14 (15), before smashing 58 off his next 22 deliveries. He will play a crucial role in today's match.

Risky Captaincy Choice 

Windies' left-handed batter Nicholas Pooran, who hit a superb 36 off 21 in the opening match, is in fine touch. In 13 league T20 matches this year, Pooran has scored 426 runs at an average of 42.6 and a strike rate of 145.9. Wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran's quick-fire knock of 36 and a small cameo helped LUC to win the last match against DEL. He will be the top choice for this role and can turn a match at any time with his dynamic batting.

Suggested Playing XI Real11 Fantasy Cricket

Team 1

Team 2