Lucknow: Chennai Super Kings snapped their five-match losing streak in the Indian Premier League on Monday by defeating the in-form Lucknow Super Giants by five wickets in Lucknow. The win also brought an end to Lucknow’s three-match winning run.

A day after head coach Stephen Fleming remarked that Mahendra Singh Dhoni "didn't have a magic wand", the veteran wicketkeeper-batter showcased his trademark calm under pressure with an unbeaten 26 off just 11 balls, leading the chase with impact substitute Shivam Dube, who remained not out on 43. Their explosive 57-run partnership off 28 balls took Chennai to 168-5 in response to Lucknow’s 166-7.

Bowlers falter as Dhoni-Dube punish pacers
Lucknow had clawed back into the contest through spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Digvesh Rathi, who removed Chennai’s middle-order mainstays — Rahul Tripathi, Ravindra Jadeja, and Vijay Shankar — for single-digit scores. Bishnoi returned impressive figures of 2-18 but was denied a fourth over in the death, with pacers instead bearing the brunt.

Shardul Thakur, notably expensive, conceded 56 runs without a wicket. Dhoni brought down the equation to 31 off 18 balls with a trademark one-handed six off Thakur's final delivery of the 17th over. Bishnoi dropped a catch off Dhoni in the penultimate over, which proved costly. Dube completed the chase with a cover-driven boundary off Avesh Khan.

Rasheed impresses on debut as Chennai's chase begins briskly
Making his IPL debut, opener Shaik Rasheed replaced Devon Conway and struck six fours to give Chennai early momentum. His 52-run opening stand with Rachin Ravindra (37) came off just 29 deliveries. However, Chennai’s persistent middle-order struggles resurfaced once both fell.

Despite the win, five-time champions Chennai remain at the bottom of the table, while Lucknow stay in fourth position.

Pant’s fifty in vain as Lucknow post below-par total
Earlier, Chennai’s bowlers made early inroads. Khaleel Ahmed dismissed Aiden Markram in the opening over, aided by a brilliant running catch from Tripathi, while Anshul Kamboj trapped Nicholas Pooran leg-before.

Lucknow skipper Rishabh Pant, under pressure due to his lean patch with the bat, showed signs of resurgence. After a cautious start, he reached his half-century off 42 balls, striking consecutive sixes off Matheesha Pathirana. However, he perished in the final over, top-edging a slower delivery from the Sri Lankan.

Cameos from Mitchell Marsh and Ayush Badoni were neutralised by Ravindra Jadeja, while Abdul Samad’s run-out in the final over left Lucknow about 10-15 runs short of a competitive total.

With AP inputs