On a hot and muggy Kolkata afternoon, Lucknow Super Giants found their big bats firing in unison to drive them to their second highest total ever, a hefty 238/3, but Kolkata Knight Riders gave the visiting team a proper scare before losing by four runs, mainly because they rejigged their batting order to negative effect.
In a game in which 472 runs were scored across 40 overs, it all came down to 24 runs needed from the last six balls, bowled by the out of form legspinner Ravi Bishnoi, and he got the job done to close out a tense victory that put LSG at fifth place on the IPL 2025 points table.
KKR’s management must be ruing the decision to bat a proven finisher in Rinku Singh as low as No 8 and instead promoted Ramandeep Singh to five and batted the Impact Player, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, at six. Ramandeep and Raghuvanshi made 1 and 5 respectively, followed by Andre Russell’s 7, whereas Rinku slammed 38* off 15 deliveries to end up on the losing side.
After being asked to bat by KRR skipper Ajinkya Rahane, LSG flew off the blocks thanks to big stand from their openers. Aiden Markram was the early aggressor with 47 off 28 balls, before Mitchell Marsh opened his shoulders inside the Powerplay to flay the KKR bowling. The pair put on 99 inside 10 overs and once Marsh was joined by Nicholas Pooran, the fun went up a notch.
Marsh hurried to his fourth half-century in five innings – briefly becoming this season’s leading run-getter with 265 at an average of 53 – but the Orange Cap went back to his team-mate Pooran, with whom Marsh added 71 in five overs. Marsh was eventually out for 81 off 41 balls, featuring five sixes, when he sliced the ball to the man stationed at deep cover, but Pooran was in the mood for more bashing.
The West Indian flayed eight sixes and seven fours in his IPL best of 87 not out off just 36 deliveries, which set KKR a target of 239.
Following his match-winning hand of 97 not out versus Rajasthan Royals, KKR’s new opener Quinton de Kock had managed three single-digit scores before this match. Here, de Kock sped to 15 off nine before being trapped in front of the stumps by Akash Deep, which once again left Rahane to repair the early damage.
He did well, partnered by Sunil Narine, and the pair gave KKR 73 runs inside the Powerplay. But as soon as the Powerplay was done, Narine fell for 30 off 13 balls to the newbie legspinner in the IPL, Digvesh Rathi, who idolizes the West Indians mystery spinner.
Rahane batted with purpose in the company of Venkatesh Iyer and they kept KKR in the hunt. Rahane laced eight fours and a couple sixes in his 35-ball 61 and Iyer contributed 45 off 29 balls, but as soon as that dangerous partnership was snapped, LSG closed in for a narrow win despite the massive scare that Rinku gave them.
Rishabh Pant entrusted Bishnoi with defending 24 off the last over and the bowler did the job, just, after being taken for 19 runs. Rinku hit Bishnoi for 4, 4, 6 off the last three balls of the match to further outline how poor KKR’s thinking was regarding their batting in a big chase.
