Marcus Stoinis, the chief architect behind Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) 56-run win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Friday (April 28), has revealed that he will undergo scans after he took a blow on his left index finger.
Stoinis’s availability for the next LSG game is not certain yet and it will only become clear after the result of the scans.
The Australian all-rounder slammed 72 off 40 balls with 6 fours and 5 sixes, propelling LSG to a mammoth 257/5 in 20 overs – the second-highest total in IPL history.
Stoinis also claimed the prized scalp of PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan but only able to complete 1.5 overs as he took a blow on his left index finger while trying to block a shot from Atharva Taide.
“It’s (finger) been better but yeah, it is what it is. We will get a scan later,” Stoinis said at the post-match presentation after receiving the Player-of-the-Match award.
During his whirlwind knock, Stoinis added 89 runs in 47 balls for the third wicket with Ayush Badoni (43 off 24) and the conversation he had with his partner was about the difference between the Mohali track and LSG’s home ground in Lucknow which offers slow pitches.
“We were joking about the difference between that and our surface at home, and how we can cash in and take advantage of this beautiful batting wicket,” he revealed.
“No, I wasn’t [thinking about 250]. I don’t think Ayush was either. We were just trying to build a partnership. He got off to a flyer as well and was hitting some nice shots; he’s a very talented player. We were just trying to keep building on that and that was our only focus.”
Usually, Stoinis bats lower down the order but his match-winning knock against PBKS came while batting at No. 4 position.
“I do enjoy the responsibility of batting a bit lower and seeing the game home as well,” he said. “Part of my journey has been batting in every position. Bowl the first over, bowl the last over, try to mix and match, I’m happy to do whatever my team needs.
“I was swinging a few in the nets the other day, so the bowling coach got a bit excited and thought maybe start me with the new ball. But probably our home wicket suits me a little bit more in terms of taking the pace off and being a bit more creative and using the wicket. No one loves bowling on flat ones.”
(With Firstpost Inputs)
