Chennai Super Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants Timeline

When Lucknow Super Giants stepped onto an IPL ground for the first time in 2022, their opening assignment was against defending champions Chennai Super Kings. They won that night in a dramatic last-over chase and in the years since, this rivalry has consistently delivered high-quality, high-scoring cricket that belies its short history. LSG currently lead the head-to-head 3–2 across five completed matches, with one game abandoned due to rain and a sixth meeting scheduled at Chepauk on May 10, 2026. From Evin Lewis' fastest fifty of IPL 2022 to Marcus Stoinis' record-breaking 124* at Chepauk, from KL Rahul's consistent excellence to MS Dhoni's match-winning finishes, the Chennai Super Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants timeline is already full of standout moments — remarkable for a fixture that began only three seasons ago.

CSK vs LSG Head-to-Head Stats

Overall Statistics

All Matches: CSK vs LSG Timeline

Key Highlights from CSK vs LSG Matches

IPL 2022 – The Debut That Announced an Arrival

The first-ever meeting between these franchises, played at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on March 31, 2022, served immediate notice that LSG were not here to make up the numbers. Defending champions CSK posted 210/7 on the back of Robin Uthappa's explosive 45 off 21 balls and Shivam Dube's breezy 49, building a total that most debutant franchises would have found beyond reach.

LSG's reply was a story in two movements. KL Rahul (40 off 26) and Quinton de Kock (61) built an important 99-run opening partnership that laid the foundation. When middle-order wickets fell in a cluster and the game began slipping away from the newcomers, West Indian powerhouse Evin Lewis entered and detonated the chase. His 55 off just 23 balls — the fastest fifty of the entire IPL 2022 season — changed the match's momentum completely. Lewis struck seven boundaries and two sixes in a cameo that had the Brabourne crowd stunned. LSG reached 211/4 with three balls to spare, completing their first-ever IPL win against IPL's most experienced franchise. Evin Lewis was named Player of the Match.

IPL 2023 – Contrasting Fortunes at Different Venues

The 2023 season produced two vastly different outcomes across two encounters.

Match 2 – Chepauk, April 3, 2023: On CSK's home ground, the spin-friendly Chepauk surface played a decisive role. Ruturaj Gaikwad's elegant 57 anchored CSK's innings as they posted 217/7 — the highest team total in this rivalry. LSG responded with determination but found the conditions and CSK's bowling attack too much to overcome. Restricted to 205/7, they fell 12 runs short. This was CSK's first win in the fixture and demonstrated what home conditions at Chepauk can mean for the five-time champions, whose bowlers — led by Ravindra Jadeja's disciplined spin — kept control throughout.

Match 3 – Ekana, May 3, 2023 (No Result): The return fixture at Ekana Stadium never reached a conclusion. LSG batted first, with Ayush Badoni contributing a useful cameo before heavy rain arrived and refused to relent. The match was abandoned without a result — the only unfinished game in this rivalry's history. It remains an event notable chiefly for its absence: a potentially exciting chase was stolen by the monsoon.

IPL 2024 – The Season of Centuries

The 2024 encounters between these sides produced the finest individual batting in this rivalry's brief history — and produced moments that will be remembered long after scorecards are archived.

Match 4 – Ekana, April 19, 2024: CSK posted a competitive 176/6, powered in the final overs by Ravindra Jadeja's unbeaten 57, Moeen Ali's brisk 30 off 20, and MS Dhoni's customary finishing flourish of 28 off just 9 balls. For one innings, at least, it looked as though CSK's experienced batting had given their bowlers something to defend.

It took KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock precisely one session to make that case look optimistic. The two openers added 134 runs for the first wicket — the highest partnership for any wicket at the Ekana Cricket Stadium at that time — and never remotely threatened to be separated until the target was in sight. Rahul finished unbeaten on 82 off 53 balls (9 fours, 3 sixes), de Kock made 54, and LSG crossed the line at 180/2 in 19 overs with 6 balls to spare. The win was comfortable and comprehensive. Rahul's fifty was also his 25th fifty-plus score as a designated wicketkeeper-batter in the IPL, surpassing MS Dhoni's previous record of 24.

Match 5 – Chepauk, April 23, 2024: Five days later at Chennai, CSK's home fortress — and a batting battle for the ages. Ruturaj Gaikwad produced a captain's masterpiece, hitting an unbeaten 108 off 60 balls to power CSK to 210/4. Shivam Dube's aggressive 66 off 27 gave the innings its early momentum. A total of 211 to defend on a dew-affected Chepauk surface felt more than competitive. The banner in the stands read "Fortress Chepauk."

Marcus Stoinis had other ideas. Coming in at number three in the very first over after an early KKR wicket, he paced his innings with surgical precision, building his assault gradually before unleashing something extraordinary. He hit his fifty off 26 balls, then continued accelerating. When his century came up — off 56 balls, exactly matching Gaikwad's — the noise level at Chepauk reached something close to disbelief. He finished with an unbeaten 124 off 63 balls (13 fours, 6 sixes), guiding LSG to 213/4 in 19.3 overs. The win was by 6 wickets with 3 balls to spare. Stoinis' innings was later confirmed to be the highest individual score in an IPL chase in history, surpassing Paul Valthaty's previous record of 120* made against CSK in 2011. LSG had completed a 2–0 season sweep of CSK, winning both encounters within five days.

IPL 2025 – Dhoni's Finishing Touch

After two heavy defeats in 2024, CSK needed a statement. They got one — and delivered it with vintage Dhoni timing.

LSG, now captained by Rishabh Pant, posted 166/7 at Ekana on April 14, 2025. Pant top-scored with a composed 63 off 49 balls, pulling LSG to a defensible total, though one that any top-four side should theoretically chase on a flat surface. Mitchell Marsh chipped in with 30 off 25 at the top.

CSK's chase wobbled badly. They lost wickets in clusters and found themselves 109/4 after 14 overs with the game hanging by a thread, Ravi Bishnoi and Digvesh Rathi doing damage in the middle overs. Then MS Dhoni walked out, and the context of the chase changed.

Even away from Chennai, the crowd at Ekana acknowledged what followed. Dhoni hit three boundaries and a flat six over midwicket, bringing the equation to manageable terms. His unbeaten 26 off 11 balls, combined with Shivam Dube's crucial knock, sealed a 5-wicket victory with 3 balls remaining. Dhoni was named Player of the Match — his first such award since 2019. The night also produced an additional milestone: Dhoni became the first player in IPL history to complete 200 total fielding dismissals (a combination of wicketkeeping dismissals and outfield catches), when he stumped Ayush Badoni off Ravindra Jadeja in the 14th over.

Notable Records in the CSK vs LSG Rivalry

Individual Performances

Team Records

Individual Milestones

Venue Records

Head-to-Head: Top Performers

Top Batsmen

1. Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK) – ~183 runs — The rivalry's leading run-scorer and CSK's captain since 2024. His 108* at Chepauk in April 2024 was the match-defining innings of the tournament's most spectacular individual duel, even if Stoinis ultimately stole the night.

2. Marcus Stoinis (LSG) – ~159 runs including 124* — His April 2024 Chepauk century is the standout individual performance in this fixture and one of the most celebrated IPL batting displays of the decade. His innings set the all-time record for highest score in an IPL chase.

3. KL Rahul (LSG) – ~158 runs, 3 POTM awards — Three Player of the Match awards in five completed games reflects Rahul's dominance in this fixture as LSG's captain and opener. His 82 off 53 in the first 2024 Ekana encounter was a masterclass in chasing under pressure. He has since moved to Delhi Capitals in 2026.

4. MS Dhoni (CSK) — A presence in every match and a match-winner in two. His back-to-back cameos (28 off 9 in April 2024, 26* off 11 in 2025) typify his ability to change game outcomes in the fewest possible balls.

5. Evin Lewis (LSG) — One match, one unforgettable innings. His 55 off 23 in the first-ever meeting remains the fastest fifty in this fixture.

6. Quinton de Kock (LSG) — De Kock's consistency as Rahul's opening partner in this fixture has been significant. His 61 in 2022 and 54 in the first 2024 Ekana match were important contributions to LSG's two biggest victories.

Top Bowlers

1. Ravi Bishnoi (LSG) — 6 wickets — The joint leading wicket-taker in this fixture. His leg-spin has been a consistent threat against CSK's middle order, with crucial contributions in multiple matches.

2. Moeen Ali (CSK) — 6 wickets — Joint leader for wickets, Moeen's off-spin has often been deployed at key moments at Chepauk, where the surface assists finger spin.

3. Matheesha Pathirana (CSK) — 5 wickets — The Sri Lankan quick's death-over skills have been a weapon for CSK in this fixture, although he was unable to defend the 210 target against Stoinis in 2024.

4. Ravindra Jadeja (CSK) — Crucial with both bat (57* in April 2024) and ball (2/24 in 2025 and the stumping of Badoni that gave Dhoni his 200th IPL fielding dismissal). Now with Rajasthan Royals after a trade ahead of IPL 2026.

5. Avesh Khan (LSG) — A consistent threat in this fixture with his ability to generate pace and swing.

CSK vs LSG: What Makes This Rivalry Special?

IPL's most storied franchise versus one of its most ambitious newcomers. The contrast between CSK — five-time champions with 18 years of accumulated culture, wisdom, and Dhoni — and LSG, a franchise only in their fourth active year, makes every meeting feel weighted. The result so far has surprised almost everyone: LSG lead 3–2, a statistic that would have seemed implausible if mentioned on the night of their first encounter in 2022.

The high-scoring nature of these matches is striking. Four of the five completed contests have produced totals above 200. The 2024 Chepauk encounter generated a combined 423 runs and featured centuries from both captains — yet still produced a decisive winner. These are not close-fought, low-scoring tactical battles. They are entertainments in the broadest sense of the word.

The generational texture adds depth. Dhoni is now in his fifth decade and batting in the final phase of a career that will never be replicated. His cameos against LSG — defining moments in both the 2024 and 2025 encounters — carry emotional weight beyond their statistical contribution. Against them stands Rishabh Pant, now LSG's captain, who came up in Dhoni's era and is building his own franchise identity. When these two are both on the field, the subtext runs deep.

Player movements reshape the rivalry with each auction. KL Rahul, who won three Player of the Match awards against CSK for LSG, is now at Delhi Capitals. Jadeja, CSK's most dangerous all-round weapon in this fixture, has been traded to Rajasthan Royals. Stoinis, the architect of the most spectacular innings in the rivalry, is no longer at LSG. These departures open new spaces in the storyline heading into 2026 and beyond.

Conclusion

The Chennai Super Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants timeline, despite spanning just five seasons, has consistently delivered cricket of the highest drama and quality. LSG's 3–2 lead over five-time champions CSK reflects genuine competitive parity at the top of T20 cricket. Marcus Stoinis' record-breaking 124* at Chepauk, Evin Lewis' fastest fifty, Ruturaj Gaikwad's 108*, KL Rahul's consistent excellence, and MS Dhoni's two match-winning cameos each match has produced a performance worth remembering. With Rahul now at Delhi Capitals, Jadeja at Rajasthan Royals, Pant leading LSG, and a new chapter at Chepauk in May 2026, this young rivalry is already evolving into something with genuine historical weight. The next chapter promises to be just as compelling.