Mukul Choudhary rescued Lucknow Super Giants from what looked like a finished contest, smashing a composed late surge to help LSG pull off a last-ball chase against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. Chasing 182, the 21-year-old held his nerve in the final over and guided Lucknow to a thrilling three-wicket win, landing the winning runs off the last delivery. Ayush Badoni also played a key innings for the visitors, steadying the chase with a 34-ball 54 as wickets kept falling at the other end.
Key takeaways
- LSG chased down 182 with three wickets in hand, securing victory off the final ball.
- Mukul Choudhary made 54 not out off 27, including seven sixes and two fours.
- Ayush Badoni’s 54 (34) anchored the pursuit before the chase briefly tilted toward KKR.
- KKR were restricted to 181/4, with Angkrish Raghuvanshi scoring 45 (33) and Ajinkya Rahane 41 (24).
- After a Powerplay that set the tempo, KKR’s middle overs slowed sharply from overs 11 to 15.
Brief scores and how the match swung
Kolkata Knight Riders posted 181/4 in 20 overs. Angkrish Raghuvanshi struck 45 off 33 and Ajinkya Rahane made 41 off 24, while Digvesh Singh Rathi returned figures of 1-25. Lucknow Super Giants reached 182/7 in 20 overs, with Mukul Choudhary contributing 54 not out from 27 balls and Ayush Badoni scoring 54 off 34. Anukul Roy’s spell included 2-32. LSG won by three wickets.
When Lucknow slipped to 128 for 7, the chase seemed to be slipping beyond reach. That is where Mukul changed the complexion of the game, producing a brilliant 54* off 27 that turned a near-certain loss into a victory.
The chase, over by over: Mukul’s finishing act
Mukul started the closing phase with just 2 off 6 when Mohammed Shami was dismissed. Two overs later, he had already raced to 26 off 16. A six and a four off Arora, followed by two sixes off Tyagi, brought the equation to 30 needed from 12 deliveries.
The Rajasthan wicketkeeper-batter then did a lot more than just hit—he also ensured he faced most of the strike as Lucknow searched for the target. In the 19th over, bowled by Cameron Green, 16 runs came off the bat: Mukul struck two sixes and a four. Avesh managed a single on the first ball, leaving Mukul to score 13 with five balls remaining. Mukul continued to find the leg-side boundary, clearing the ropes again off Vaibhav for another six.
The bowler kept the ball away for a couple of deliveries, but Mukul still launched a wristy six over the off side to reach a 26-ball fifty and bring the chase down to 1 off the last ball. Vaibhav kept the final delivery outside Mukul’s hitting zone, yet the batters managed a bye, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi—standing in as wicketkeeper—could not convert it into a run-out at the stumps. After the winning moment, Mukul celebrated with a prayer, and the LSG dugout rushed in to honour their hero.
Early controversy: Allen’s near-miss and the boundary catch
KKR began with a moment of uncertainty in the opening stages. After struggling against the moving deliveries from Shami in the first over, Finn Allen took on Prince Yadav in the second and struck a couple of boundaries. However, in an attempt to go big, he produced a top edge and was caught near the boundary at third man by Digvesh Rathi.
The issue was that the catch did not appear to be taken cleanly. The third umpire initially ruled it in favour of KKR, but later replays suggested there may have been contact with the boundary cushion, with the possibility that the cushion had shifted slightly.
Rahane’s form, Powerplay intent, and the spin question
Ajinkya Rahane’s strike rate after the Powerplay and against spin had been a talking point heading into the match. From 2023 until that day in the IPL, he had recorded a strike rate of 119.93 versus spin and 124.16 in the middle-overs phase. In this game, Rahane went looking to erase those concerns.
He attacked spin during the Powerplay, smashing a six off M Siddharth and following it with two fours off Rathi. He did not ease off from there either, clearing the fence even though his bat control deserted him after Avesh Khan brought the ball into play. KKR also benefited from Raghuvanshi’s fluent batting, and the side raced to 98/1 at the halfway marker.
Rahane’s innings ended in the 11th over when he fell to Rathi. The third umpire needed multiple replays to confirm that Shami had taken the catch cleanly. Rahane did not reach a fifty, but his knock remained quick—he finished with a strike rate of 170.83. His strike rate after the Powerplay was 176.9, and it was 162.5 against spin.
What happened between overs 11 and 15?
After the 10th over, KKR’s momentum dropped. From overs 11 to 15, the innings turned into a slowdown, with the team losing set batters including Rinku Singh while managing only 17 runs in that window, on a surface that appeared to become harder to score freely on.
Cameron Green and Rovman Powell had difficulty building momentum, though Powell did show intent in spells. In the 16th over, Green struck a six and there was also an edged four off Siddharth. Green’s first four arrived off the 15th ball of his innings, struck off Prince. Prince conceded 17 in the over where Powell also found the boundary with a four and a six. Green’s only six came off Shami, and in the final over KKR still managed to keep the run-rate moving, with two fours—one off Prince and another—helping them score 66 in the last five overs.
How Lucknow’s chase started: level scores, then pressure
Lucknow’s pursuit began almost in step with KKR. They matched KKR’s Powerplay total, posting 56 in the opening phase, though they also lost their openers in the process. Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh provided a rapid start, but both were removed by Vaibhav Arora on short balls in the fifth over.
By the eighth-over mark, LSG had reached 72 for 2, which was a couple of runs behind KKR at that stage. Rishabh Pant and Ayush Badoni then put together a steadier partnership, keeping the chase alive and under control.
Green’s first bowling appearance and Lucknow’s collapse
Bowling for the first time that season, the Australian was introduced at the start of the ninth over. He made an immediate impact, forcing Pant to miscue a pull and dismissing the LSG captain for 10. A six came from Nicholas Pooran in the same over, but he soon fell to Tyagi. Shortly after, Anukul Roy struck again, accounting for Abdul Samad.
Badoni tried to keep the chase on track, working his way to a 33-ball fifty. Yet his dismissal arrived at a crucial stage and shifted the contest further toward KKR. After that, Narine—becoming the first overseas bowler to reach 200 T20 wickets in India—helped accelerate the collapse. Lucknow’s score slid from 72 for 2 to 128 for 7.
That is when Mukul began his counterattack. He played a decisive role, contributing 52 of the 54 runs that were scored in the eighth-wicket partnership with Avesh.
Next fixtures for both teams
With the win now secured from the jaws of defeat, LSG have a short turnaround: they will play Gujarat Titans in Lucknow on April 12. KKR, meanwhile, get a four-day window to regroup after the shocking loss before they face Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk on April 14.
