Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are back to their home ground for the first time in three years and the local fans couldn’t have asked for anything more. The MS Dhoni-led side is set to host Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match no. 6. The last time CSK played at Chepauk was on May 7, 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic prevented them from playing their home games in Chennai.
IPL 2023 Match no. 6 – CSK vs LSG
Ahead of the game, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif cited the spin-friendly nature of pitches at Chepauk as the reason behind Chennai Super Kings (CSK) being a formidable force at home.
“It’s always a challenge for the visiting teams as to how to beat CSK in Chennai. Chepauk has always been an impregnable fortress of CSK. The track here is spin-friendly and there’s no bigger captain than MS Dhoni in conditions like these," Kaif told Star Sports Network.
“This year as well, Dhoni has some top-quality spinners in his side and it won’t be easy for any team to beat them at home," he added.
IPL 2023 Full Coverage | IPL 2023 Schedule | IPL 2023 Results | IPL Orange Cap | IPL Purple Cap
At Chepauk, CSK have won a whopping 40 out of 56 IPL matches at home. Against Lucknow, CSK will still be without the services of South Africa pacer Sisanda Magala as well as the Sri Lankan pair of Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana due to their respective commitments in international cricket.
On Monday, LSG captain KL Rahul won the toss and decided to field first against MS Dhoni’s CSK at Chepauk.
KL Rahul said that they have made one change to their team, with Yash Thakur coming in for Jaydev Unadkat, which he clarified is a tactical move.
“We’ll bowl first. We want to know what we are chasing. It was a really good performance against DC, all parts of the game we did well. We need to turn up again today and better those performances. Jaydev Unadkat misses out, Yash Thakur comes in," Rahul said at the toss.
MS Dhoni said that CSK are unchanged, as a huge roar came from the stands.
“Does mean a lot. IPL started in 2008 but we’ve not played a lot of cricket here. Only about 5-6 seasons we’ve been here. This is the first time the full stadium will be operational; a few stands were empty earlier. The same squad for this game," home captain MS Dhoni said.
Get the latest Cricket News, IPL 2023 Live Score, Orange Cap and Purple Cap holder details here
Comments
0 comment