After the Lucknow Super Giants’ six-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings, captain KL Rahul  praised Marcus Stoinis for his outstanding match-winning innings of 124 runs off 63 balls. Rahul acknowledged that Chennai’s score of 210/4 was at least 30 runs above par given the Chepauk pitch past history. Stoinis’ remarkable hitting overshadowed Ruturaj Gaikwad’s elegant century, powering LSG to a convincing win in their second match against CSK this season.

Rahul, who had once dismissed the importance of strike rate in T20 cricket, calling it overrated, said that even a daunting total of 180 might not be enough in this era of the “Impact Player” rule. This rule allows a mid-match player substitutions that inject flexibility and firepower to team lineup. It has reshaped scoring rates and match dynamics.

“Stoinis deserves full credit for his clever and selective batting. He targeted bowlers and batted superbly. We realized we should have been braver in capitalizing on the powerplay overs and needed a power-hitter in the top 3. T20 cricket has evolved in recent years – 170-180 runs are no longer sufficient. Teams must maximize the powerplay overs and the impact player rule provides additional depth to do so,” KL Rahul said in the post-match presentation.

Though Rahul managed only 16 runs off 14 balls, the LSG opener was aggressive in the previous match against CSK, smashing 83 off 52 deliveries. With fellow opener Quinton de Kock struggling in the powerplay, Rahul took charge of the run-scoring, striking at over 200 (31 off 15 balls) before pacing his innings as needed in LSG’s successful 177-run chase.

“Having not played much T20 cricket, I am pleased that things are coming together. Other than the openers, the rest of the team is ready to bat whenever the situation calls for it. We intend to remain flexible in our batting order,” he continued.

Rahul, the captain of LSG, surpassed 300-run mark during his innings against CSK on Tuesday. With 302 runs in eight matches at a strike rate of 141.42, he faces stiff competition from other players to who are competing for selection in the T20 World Cup squad.

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