NEW DELHI: A brilliant late rally from Mukul Choudhary and Avesh Khan rewrote the record books as Lucknow Super Giants secured a dramatic three-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in a last-ball contest at Eden Gardens on Thursday. The finish was set in motion by an unbeaten 54-run stand between Mukul and Avesh for the eighth wicket, which became the highest partnership for the 8th wicket or lower in a successful IPL chase. The duo put on those runs off just 24 balls, turning the pressure of KKR’s end-overs into a chase-winning surge.
Mukul Choudhary’s six-hitting blitz enters record books
Mukul’s knock carried both urgency and milestones. He struck seven sixes, the most by an LSG batter when batting at No.7 or lower. Those numbers also matched the IPL record for the highest number of sixes hit from that batting slot in a successful run chase, tying Dwayne Bravo’s mark for Chennai Super Kings versus Mumbai Indians in 2018.
As the match swung further into the contest’s final stages, Avesh provided the perfect counterpunch. Together, they delivered a match-defining partnership that not only handed LSG an unlikely win but also underlined how firmly the franchise has been improving its record against KKR. LSG have now won five of their seven meetings against Kolkata, including a third victory at Eden Gardens in four visits.
KKR falter at the death again
With Cameron Green looming in the penultimate over, Mukul took control, launching two sixes and adding a four to shift momentum decisively. With 14 runs required from the last over, he stayed in rhythm against Vaibhav Arora, smashing two more sixes, including the crucial strike off the second-last delivery.
Then, needing only a single run off the final ball, Mukul and Avesh managed the required scramble to complete the chase and seal LSG’s second last-ball win in a run chase. That feat follows their well-known one-wicket success against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2023.
Earlier, KKR had set a target of 181/4, but they could not finish the job as their inexperienced pace resources once again struggled to hold their nerve under late pressure.
