Josh Inglis lights up Chepauk as LSG script IPL history against CSK

Lucknow Super Giants came to Chepauk needing intent, and Josh Inglis gave them something much louder than that. CSK began with spin, quickly panicked, returned to pace, and then discovered that Inglis was not particularly interested in respecting either option.

Mitchell Marsh’s presence at the other end made the assault even more awkward for Chennai, because one batter was threatening the sightscreen while the other was inventing angles behind the keeper. The pitch, which had been under covers because of rain, turned out to be far better for batting than CSK would have hoped.

There was no real movement for the quicks, no major grip for spin, and no hiding place once Inglis found his rhythm. By the end of the field restrictions, LSG had not just started well; they had dragged Chepauk into a piece of IPL history.

CSK vs LSG: Josh Inglis turns Chepauk into a personal playground

Josh Inglis was the man who made this powerplay feel less like a cricket phase and more like a controlled demolition. He took first strike instead of Mitchell Marsh, and that one little move immediately changed the tone of the innings.

Akeal Hosein started with a slip and a packed off-side field, but Inglis did not care much for geometry. He got going with a six and two fours in the first over, using both power and invention to put CSK under pressure before the innings had even settled.

Once CSK saw spin being attacked, they went back to pace. That did not work either. Inglis used the pace beautifully, especially behind the wicket, scooping and reverse-scooping boundaries as if he had already read the field before the bowler began running in. He reached a 17-ball half-century, and by the end of the powerplay he was 77 not out off 25 balls, with nine fours and six sixes.

LSG vs CSK: Mitchell Marsh and Inglis make the perfect odd partner

Mitchell Marsh’s innings was not huge in numbers, but his presence was important. He made 10 off 10, including a straight six off Anshul Kamboj, and gave LSG the shape they wanted at the top. Marsh is usually the big down-the-ground threat, the kind of batter who makes fast bowlers miss their length by simply standing there and looking enormous. Inglis, on the other hand, kept finding strange and brilliant scoring areas, especially behind square and over the keeper.

That contrast made the partnership dangerous. It had a bit of that Finn Allen-Tim Seifert feel: one big hitter looking to go straight, one compact chaos merchant manufacturing boundaries from balls that did not look like boundary balls.

This is how a powerplay partnership should work. They complemented each other, forced CSK to keep guessing, and exploited conditions better than the bowling side. Marsh eventually fell to Kamboj, but by then LSG had already taken control of the innings. CSK had a wicket, yes, but it felt like finding one umbrella after the storm had already flooded the house.

Also READ: Why are Arshin Kulkarni and Mayank Yadav not playing CSK vs LSG today in Chepauk?

CSK vs LSG: Lucknow Super Giants rewrite the Chepauk powerplay record book

The numbers explain just how wild this start was. LSG finished the first six overs at 91/1, the highest powerplay score ever recorded at Chepauk in the IPL. The previous highest was also by LSG, who had made 80/1 against CSK in 2023. So Lucknow did not just break a venue record; they broke their own record at the same ground, against the same opposition. That is not a coincidence. That is a team clearly comfortable attacking Chennai early.

Inglis alone came close to beating the old Chepauk powerplay record. His 77 off 25 is now among the greatest individual powerplay scores in IPL history. Only Suresh Raina’s 87 vs PBKS in 2014, Travis Head’s 84 vs DC in 2024, and Jake Fraser-McGurk’s 78 vs MI in 2024 sit above him.

LSG’s own best powerplay scores now include 91/1 vs CSK in Chennai, 2026, 90/1 vs MI in Mumbai, 2026, 80/1 vs CSK in Chennai, 2023, 77/1 vs SRH in Hyderabad, 2025, and 74/2 vs PBKS in Mohali, 2023.

For CSK, this was ugly because it was not one bowler being targeted in isolation. Hosein went. Mukesh went. Kamboj went too, despite getting Marsh later. CSK tried spin, pace, match-ups, and field changes, but Inglis kept finding answers faster than they could ask questions. Chepauk usually makes batters work. This time, Inglis made Chepauk look like a ground with very generous boundaries and a very tired bowling attack.