Kolkata Knight Riders’ search for a first victory in IPL 2026 continued on Thursday, with their lack of experience in pace bowling again proving costly. Lucknow Super Giants pulled off a dramatic, last-ball win by three wickets thanks to a stunning late surge from debutant Mukul Choudhary and a composed fifty from Ayush Badoni. The result left LSG in fifth place on the points table, while KKR slipped further down in ninth. KKR, defending 181, looked well set early—until the game shifted in the final overs.
Green, who was making his long-awaited bowling debut for the season, struck in the early phase as KKR took control. With his second delivery, the Australian all-rounder removed Lucknow captain Rishabh Pant, sending him back for 10 after a mistimed hook that ballooned to short fine leg. Yet the story at the death was different. Coming into the match short on bowling rhythm after workload management following back surgery, Green struggled to execute the decisive overs when 30 runs were needed off the final two. In that crucial penultimate spell, he conceded 16, and Choudhary took over with fearless, clean hitting—launching two sixes and adding a boundary, including a flat strike over long leg.
With 14 required in the last over, KKR handed the ball to Vaibhav Arora, who had been their leading bowler this season in the absence of Harshit Rana and Matheesha Pathirana. However, pressure got the better of him and Lucknow kept finding the gaps. Choudhary then finished the job in emphatic style, launching two sixes, including one on the penultimate delivery after a missed yorker that still disappeared over deep cover.
Lucknow needed just one run off the final ball, and the batters completed the chase with the minimum of fuss as Choudhary capped a sensational knock, remaining unbeaten on 54 off 27 deliveries (7 sixes, 2 fours). It was one of the tournament’s finest cameo efforts from the lower order this season, and his finishing partnership with Avesh Khan underlined how KKR’s late-overs bowling has been a recurring issue. The pair added an unbeaten 54-run stand in just 24 balls.
Earlier in the evening, Badoni had set the chase up with a well-judged innings, striking 54 off 34 balls (7 fours, 2 sixes) to keep LSG within reach. Even after Lucknow had been cruising until the late stages, Choudhary’s blitz delivered the turnaround from a position of 128 for 7 in the 16th over to a sensational, match-winning finish.
For KKR, the loss extended their winless run to four matches. Their only point so far came from a rain-hit encounter against Punjab Kings. LSG, meanwhile, made it back-to-back wins and climbed into the upper half of the table with four points, collecting the kind of finish that swings momentum in a hurry.
While Green’s bowling at the end proved expensive, he did provide a strong contribution with the bat. Under scrutiny as the IPL’s costliest overseas acquisition (Rs 25.20 crore), he produced his best batting display for KKR, remaining unbeaten on 32 from 24 balls (3 fours, 1 six). He also played a vital role in repairing the innings after a mid-innings slowdown, sharing an unbroken stand with Rovman Powell—Powell made 39 not out off 24 balls (4 fours, 2 sixes)—to help KKR reach 181 for 4.
Green finally got his bowling action underway in the ninth over, striking immediately with that short ball that dismissed Pant. The wicket arrived after Arora had already rattled Lucknow earlier, removing Aiden Markram for 22 off 15 balls and Mitchell Marsh for 15 off 11 in a rapid burst that unsettled their brisk start. At one stage, LSG looked comfortable at 41 for 0 after four overs, but they lost momentum quickly and became set for a tougher chase.
Markram and Marsh had set the tone with aggressive strokeplay, including an 18-run over where Markram attacked Saini for a flurry of boundaries. But Arora’s short-ball plan paid off as Markram mistimed a pull and Marsh was caught out down the leg side. Pant’s departure deepened the slide, and although LSG were still in the contest at 84 for 3 with 97 needed from the last 10 overs, the match gradually tilted as KKR kept applying pressure.
Pooran threatened briefly with a six off Green, but KKR continued chipping away. Kartik Tyagi delivered a key breakthrough in the 12th over, dismissing Pooran for 13. Sunil Narine then tightened the screws with a superb one-run over that built further pressure before more wickets arrived. Abdul Samad fell soon after for 2, and despite Badoni’s resistance—his 54 proved to be the backbone of the chase—he too was dismissed, leaving Lucknow struggling at 125 for 6. From there, the chase looked to fade, until Choudhary’s late burst flipped the contest at the very end.
KKR’s third defeat also highlighted another familiar problem: a middle-overs slowdown that prevented them from pushing beyond a competitive score. From being 98 for 1 at the halfway stage, they failed to reach the 200-run mark. Powell and Green had looked set to drive the home side past 200 after Finn Allen fell for a second successive single-digit score, and the duo added 84 runs off 52 balls.
However, KKR’s momentum was disrupted by a combination of spin and controlled pace. They lost three wickets between overs 11 and 14, making the innings wobble. Rahane fell for 41 off 24 balls (4 fours, 2 sixes) when Digvesh Rathi struck with the ball, while Mohammed Shami finished the chance with a sharp low catch. The next over saw Raghuvanshi depart as well—45 off 33 balls (5 fours, 2 sixes)—holed out to long-on off left-arm spinner Maniraman Siddharth.
The decline worsened when Avesh Khan returned strongly after an expensive start, removing Rinku Singh for 4 with a back-of-a-length delivery that moved away sharply. With boundaries drying up, KKR went through a difficult stretch, unable to find a fence for 30 balls. By 15 overs, they were 115 for 4, once again exposing their vulnerability in the middle phase.
Still, Rovman Powell’s late acceleration gave KKR a platform, with him ending on 39 not out off 24 balls (4 fours, 2 sixes). That finish also brought out the best in Green, who began as eight off 13 deliveries and finished unbeaten on 32 from 24 (3 fours, 1 six). It was the Australian all-rounder’s best showing for KKR across four innings, though the broader concern for KKR remains—whether they can consistently handle the pressure of the final overs.
