Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant admitted he was “short for words” after Mukul Choudhary engineered a shock finish to script a thrilling IPL 2026 victory over Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Thursday. With the game appearing to be slipping away after the 15th over, the home side looked set to complete the job. Yet Lucknow refused to fold, powered by a composed half-century from Choudhary that helped them chase down the target with three wickets to spare.
How Lucknow pulled it off
- After the 15-over stage, the contest seemed to be heading toward a comfortable KKR win, with Lucknow needing something special to stay alive.
- Choudhary, unfazed by the pressure, delivered when it mattered most, striking a crucial half-century to keep the chase within reach.
- In the final phase, Lucknow required seven runs off the last two balls of the match.
- Choudhary produced the decisive moment by smashing a wide yorker from Vaibhav Arora for a big six over extra cover.
- On the last delivery, he failed to make contact, but Choudhary and Avesh Khan quickly converted the opportunity into a run to seal the win for Lucknow.
Reflecting on the finish, Pant said he felt “amazing” to witness Choudhary’s impact and described the effort as “fantastic” during the post-match presentation. The captain highlighted how moments in the nets can look promising, but performing under real match pressure is a different experience altogether.
“When we see him (Mukul) in the nets, when you see someone, you can see that, but when you do it in the match, it just feels amazing. Yeah, like I don’t have words to describe. It’s just overwhelmed from the match, but what a fantastic effort,” Pant said.
He also suggested the win was a sign of growing confidence within the squad, adding that the team can learn from high-pressure outcomes and be ready for whatever comes next in the tournament’s 19th edition.
“It’s definitely the character, character with every match like this, someone putting a hand up, it shows that something is building for sure. We don’t want to talk much about that, but at the same time, we know something good is cooking inside, and hopefully, it’s gonna flourish soon,” he added.
Pant further spoke about how he believes in players from smaller cities and how trust plays a key role in unlocking performances, saying that when a batter or bowler is backed by management, they can do wonders.
“See, Definitely. One thing I made sure of, personally, is that sometimes the trust is there, and when you believe in someone as a player, as a captain, they have the trust of the management. A player can do wonders with that trust. I think that definitely plays a big role,” Pant said.
Badoni’s role and the early dismissals
While most of the attention naturally turned to Choudhary’s match-winning resistance, Pant also made it clear that Ayush Badoni’s innings mattered just as much. Heaped with early setbacks, Lucknow still managed to stay in the chase of 182 thanks to Badoni’s 54-run knock. Pant, along with Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran, all departed early, putting additional pressure on the middle order to steady the chase.
Speaking about Badoni, Pant praised his development into a reliable presence in difficult situations. “He’s been like now a senior pro in our team. That’s the kind of role we have given him, trusting him. First two matches, didn’t get away, but in a situation like this, bread and butter. When we talk about Badoni, these are the kind of situations that you want to see from Badoni, in these kinds of situations. And he played an amazing role today,” the captain said.
Earlier: KKR’s innings and Shami’s spell
Earlier in the evening, Lucknow won the toss and chose to field first. Kolkata Knight Riders put up 181/4 in their 20 overs, setting a target of 182 for the visitors. Mohammed Shami again provided the key bowling thrust for Lucknow, though he did not manage to take a wicket. Even so, he conceded only 27 runs across his four overs.
After the match, Pant acknowledged Shami’s experience and impact, noting that even when wickets don’t fall, the value of veteran control is significant. “Shami is not getting any younger, I guess, but his experience, the kind of experience he brings to the side, is so invaluable. Sometimes every match doesn’t work out, but at the same time, having someone like him, it’s so amazing, especially, and not only just Shami bhai, the whole bowling unit does an amazing job,” Pant concluded.
