Mohsin Khan produced a spell that looked like it would end Kolkata Knight Riders’ chase of a win, but Rinku Singh had other plans. KKR slumped to 93 for 7 before finishing on 155 for 7, with Rinku firing an unbeaten 83 off 51 balls. Lucknow Super Giants then made a late push that dragged the contest into a Super Over, only for KKR to seal their second victory and send LSG to the bottom of the table.
Quick facts
At a glance
- KKR made 155/7 in 20 overs; LSG replied with 155/8 in 20 overs.
- Rinku Singh top-scored for KKR with 83* off 51 balls.
- Mohsin Khan finished with 5-23 as KKR slipped to 93/7.
- Super Over: LSG 1/2 in 0.3 overs; KKR 4/0 in 0.1 overs.
- Rinku hit 4* in the Super Over to end it.
- LSG’s chase stayed alive thanks to Ayush Badoni’s late surge and Himmat Singh’s finish under pressure.
Match highlights in numbers
Kolkata Knight Riders posted 155/7 in 20 overs. Rinku’s 83 not out (51) anchored the late surge, while Cameron Green struck 34 off 21. Mohsin Khan took 5-23 to keep a stranglehold during the middle phase.
Lucknow Super Giants reached 155/8 in their 20 overs, matching KKR when the game demanded it. Rishabh Pant made 42 off 38 and Aiden Markram contributed 31 off 27, but the bowling was led by Vaibhav Arora’s 2-24.
The Super Over
The tie forced a Super Over. LSG were restricted to 1/2 in 0.3 overs, with Sunil Narine delivering 2-1. KKR then chased with ease, reaching 4/0 in 0.1 overs as Rinku Singh finished unbeaten on 4, with the boundary doing the job.
The Super Over that ended the contest
When the Super Over began, Nicholas Pooran faced the first delivery, while Aiden Markram stood at the other end. Sunil Narine opened the spell by getting rid of the batter in the West Indies attempt, as the slog sweep was missed.
Rishabh Pant managed a single, but Markram was trapped in the deep. The dismissal came via a coordinated effort from Rovman Powell and Rinku Singh. Rinku then took charge, presenting an open face and guiding Prince Yadav’s ball past point for four, bringing the match to a close.
What set up the Super Over
Lucknow needed 64 runs from the last five overs, and the match swung further KKR’s way when Anukul Roy removed Mukul Choudhary. That left LSG tottering at 93/5 in the 16th over.
Ayush Badoni refused to fold. He struck a six off Anukul and followed it with two more maximums off Tyagi, while Himmat Singh’s six helped keep the pressure mounting. The final stretch became a see-saw: Badoni fell to Varun, Linde hit two fours in the same over before being dismissed by Arora, and then Shami and Himmat combined for two more fours, leaving LSG needing 17 off the last over.
There was drama in the last over too—one bye, two no balls, and a four—before the equation suddenly tightened to eight required off four balls. Himmat was then dismissed by Tyagi, and it came down to seven needed off the final delivery. Shami had the last word, clearing long-off with a powerful hit to force the Super Over.
The chase, slowly building into a thriller (Part 1)
Lucknow started their chase in a measured manner. After Mitchell Marsh was dismissed in the second over for a mistimed pull off Vaibhav Arora, Rishabh Pant and Aiden Markram settled into a steady partnership. Their approach was risk-managed, with boundaries coming intermittently and strike rotation doing much of the work.
Pant struck a six and a four, and Markram added two fours, as LSG finished the Powerplay on 37/1. That Powerplay total of 68 when combined across both teams was also the lowest Powerplay score in the tournament. Even at the halfway point, the partnership looked calm, with only a six from Markram and a four from Pant as boundary additions—KKR moved to 63/1 after ten overs.
The chase, slowly building into a thriller (Part 2)
The second-wicket stand of 57 runs took 55 balls before it finally ended. Cameron Green dismissed Markram, with Rinku taking an excellent catch near the long-off boundary. At that stage, the equation read 89 needed from the last nine overs, but Pant decided the tempo had to change.
Pant accelerated with a six and a four off Kartik Tyagi, and followed that with a boundary off Sunil Narine. However, Narine got the better of Pant in the same over, as KKR successfully used the review to overturn a caught-behind not given decision. Nicholas Pooran had started cautiously, but he struck a six off Varun Chakaravarthy before the spinner delivered the key moment again, leaving KKR at 89/4 after 14 overs.
Earlier, in the first innings…
Familiar troubles for KKR
Kolkata’s opening approach did not look different from their recent struggles. Their first partnership in this match never rose above 20 runs in their previous five innings, and the pattern continued here as well. Tim Seifert was dismissed for his second straight duck, edging a Mohsin Khan ball to cover.
Ajinkya Rahane struck a six over midwicket off Shami, but he was removed soon after when he mistimed a delivery to mid-off. There was also a slice of controversy when Angkrish Raghuvanshi was given out for obstructing the field while running to the keeper’s end.
That marked the 18th wicket KKR lost within the first six overs in the IPL, a joint-high number alongside Chennai Super Kings. Mohsin then struck again, dismissing Rovman Powell to reduce KKR to 31/4 in the seventh over.
Did KKR ever find momentum?
Any improvement was brief. Cameron Green tried to inject pace by smashing two sixes off George Linde and hitting another maximum off Mohsin. But the left-arm pacer responded immediately, taking the wickets of Green and Anukul Roy on successive balls to become the first bowler in the season to record a five-wicket haul in an IPL match.
Rinku’s resistance was one bright spot—he hit two fours off Digvesh Rathi—but the rest of the innings did not cooperate. Ramandeep Singh fell while attempting to hit a six off Linde, leaving KKR seven wickets down in the 15th over with just 93 on the board.
How KKR reached 155
The final total belonged to Rinku’s late blitz. At the end of the 18th over, he was on 43 off 40 and KKR had only reached 112/7. With a six and a four off Shami, Rinku moved to a fifty from 42 balls, then struck another four in the 17-run penultimate over.
He saved the biggest hits for the last stretch, with Digvesh Rathi the target. Rinku struck four sixes in a row, adding a couple of wides as well, taking 26 runs in the final over and accelerating to an 80-plus score off the closing power.
What’s next for both sides
KKR’s hard-earned win moved them up to eighth place, and they now get a six-day breather before travelling for an away fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 3. Lucknow, meanwhile, will have seven days to reflect on a season that has not gone to plan so far.
LSG return to action on May 4, facing Mumbai Indians in Mumbai, with the Super Over still fresh in their memories.
