Lucknow Super Giants 257 for 5 (Stoinis 72, Mayers 54, Pooran 45, Badoni 43, Rabada 2-52) beat Punjab Kings 201 (Taide 66, Thakur 4-37, Naveen 3-30, Bishnoi 2-41) by 56 runs

Marcus Stoinis: 72 off 40 balls. Kyle Mayers: 54 from 24. Nicholas Pooran: 45 off 19. Ayush Badoni: 43 from 24. Their contributions led Lucknow Super Giants to 257 for 5, the highest total this IPL season, and the second highest in the tournament's history.

Punjab Kings fought hard to get past 200 themselves, with Atharva Taide slamming a 36-ball 66, but they were never really in contention to reach an improbable target. Super Giants won by 56 runs in the end, and their net-run-rate boost lifted them from fourth to second on the points table.

LSG's hitting was awe-inspiring: their batters combined to hit 27 fours and 14 sixes, ensuring the statisticians had a busy night.

Unstoppable Stoinis

In seven previous innings this season, Stoinis had been dismissed for 21 or less five times, including a duck in his last game against Chennai Super Kings. But when he's got into his groove, LSG have prospered. He'd slammed 65 off 30 in a successful chase of 213 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, and here in Mohali Stoinis was similarly brutal.

It began with a free-hit off the second legal ball of the eighth over, which Stoinis flicked for six off debutant Gurnoor Brar. The next ball was driven for four, and Stoinis was away. In the tenth over, he guided Sam Curran for four behind point; and when the bowler tried a slower delivery, he put him away with a short-arm pull.

There was a life in the 13th over when Liam Livingstone's left foot tickled the rope while he caught Stoinis on the long-off boundary, off Rahul Chahar. Stoinis soon reached fifty from 31 balls, his innings of 72 eventually featuring five sixes.

More to follow...

Stoinis Mayers star in LSGs performance for the ages

2023-04-28 18:34:57