Cricket

The Ekana Stadium in Lucknow witnessed a thrilling encounter on Friday night as the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) emerged victorious over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by eight wickets.LSG's chase was anchored by a dominant century opening stand between captain KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock. The duo put on 106 runs in 14.3 overs, setting the tone for the chase. Rahul played a captain's knock, scoring 82 off 53 deliveries, while de Kock contributed 54 off 42 balls.CSK's bowlers struggled to contain the LSG openers, with none of them able to settle into a rhythm. The powerplay yielded 54 runs, and LSG maintained a steady scoring rate throughout the innings.After de Kock's dismissal in the 15th over, Nicholas Pooran joined Rahul at the crease. The pair added 43 runs in 29 balls, ensuring that LSG remained in control of the chase. Rahul eventually fell for 82 in the 19th over, but Pooran remained unbeaten on 23 to guide LSG home with an over to spare.For CSK, Ravindra Jadeja played a lone hand with an unbeaten 57 off 39 deliveries. Ambati Rayudu (30) and Moeen Ali (30) also made significant contributions, but the rest of the batting lineup failed to fire.LSG's bowlers were disciplined and effective, with Krunal Pandya picking up two wickets for 16 runs in his four overs. Avesh Khan and Mohsin Khan also bowled economically, conceding just 29 and 32 runs respectively.The victory was LSG's fourth in five matches, while CSK suffered their third defeat in six games. LSG now sit atop the IPL standings, while CSK languish in ninth place.