In a thrilling final-ball match, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by three wickets at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. LSG won their second IPL 2026 match after chasing a target of 182 thanks to twin half-centuries from Ayush Badoni and Mukul Choudhary.
Mitchell Marsh (15) and Aiden Markram (22) were removed during the power play by KKR’s Vaibhav Arora, which put LSG’s chase of 182 off to a precarious start. At the conclusion of the ninth over, LSG was reeling at 73/3 after captain Rishabh Pant managed just 10 before falling to Cameron Green.
Ayush Badoni began the comeback with a calm knock of 54 off 34 balls, which included two sixes and seven fours. During his innings, Badoni became the third player for LSG to surpass the 1000-run milestone and reached 1,000 career IPL runs. While KKR spinners Sunil Narine and Anukul Roy tightly controlled the scoring rate, Badoni kept the scoreboard moving.
Lucknow were in trouble at 125/6 when Anukul dismissed Badoni in the fifteenth over. But the star of the show was the untapped powerhouse, Mukul Choudhary.
The right-handed hitter hit seven massive sixes in an undefeated 54 off 27 balls. With three wickets remaining, Choudhary’s aggressive ending made sure LSG crossed the finish line despite needing 14 runs from Vaibhav Arora’s last over. In a high-stress chase, his ability to identify limits at pivotal times proved crucial.
The best bowlers for KKR were Anukul Roy (2/32) and Vaibhav Arora (2/38), but Choudhary’s late-game mastery ultimately eclipsed their efforts.
The three-time champions had earlier scored a respectable 181/4 in 20 overs. LSG chose to field first after winning the toss on a surface that might help with spin and pace as the game goes on. Early contributions were made in Kolkata’s innings, but frequent wickets prevented a significant score surge.
Finn Allen, the opener, was bowled by Prince Yadav for nine runs in the second over, giving LSG an early advantage. But with a determined counterattack, captain Ajinkya Rahane (41 off 24) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (45 off 33) propelled KKR to 56/1 in the Powerplay.
After dismissing Avesh Khan for 16 runs in the sixth over, including a massive six by Rahane, the pair were destined to win the match.
The turning point came when LSG’s spin duo of Digvesh Singh Rathi and Manimaran Siddharth was introduced.
Rathi broke the dangerous 84-run stand for the second wicket by removing Rahane, who mistimed a pull to Mohammed Shami during the second ball of the 11th over.
The 84-run stand between Rahane and Raghuvanshi was also KKR’s second-highest against LSG for any wicket after 120* runs added by Shreyas Iyer and Salt for 3rd wicket at the same venue in 2024.
In the very next over, Raghuvanshi was dismissed by spinner Siddharth. During the second ball of the 14th over, speedster Avesh Khan clean bowled Rinku Singh (4), who returned to the dressing room after a sharp length delivery that crashed into the top of the off-stump.
After the end of 15 overs, the three-time champions reached 115/4 with LSG bowlers sticking with their disciplined approach that controlled the run-flow.
However, the powerful duo of Rovman Powell (39* off 24) and Cameron Green (32* off 24) provided a late flourish, adding valuable runs in the death overs to push the total past 180.
Veteran speedster Mohammed Shami was the pick of the bowlers for LSG in terms of economy, conceding just 27 runs in his 4 overs, while Siddharth, Rathi, Avesh, and Prince Yadav claimed one wicket apiece.
Brief Scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 181/4 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 41, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 45, Rovman Powell 39*; Manimaran Siddharth 1/34) lost to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) 182/7 in 20 overs (Mukul Choudhary 54*, Ayush Badoni 54; Anukul Roy 2/32, Vaibhav Arora 2/38) by 3 wickets.
(With Agency Inputs)
