Kolkata: Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) batters Nicholas Pooran and Mitchell Marsh’s magnificent fifties outsmarted the hosts Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by four runs in the last over thriller at their home, Eden Gardens on Tuesday. With this victory, the Super Giants team jumped to the fourth spot (six points) whereas following the loss the Knight Riders slipped to the sixth spot (four points) in the IPL 2025 points table.
Chasing a mammoth total of 239 at their home ground, the Kolkata-based franchise batters Quinton De Kock (15 runs off 9 balls) and Sunil Narine (30 runs from 13 balls) take on the bowlers from the first over itself. Both players built a partnership of 37 runs from 15 balls before De Kock was sent back to the pavillion in the third over on the bowling of right-arm seamer Akash Deep.
Following the wicketkeeper-batter’s dismissal, team skipper Ajinkya Rahane (61 runs in 35 balls) came out in the middle to bat along with Narine. The KKR side touched the 50-run mark in the fourth over.
Thorough entertainment at the Eden Gardens 🏟 🍿
And it’s the Rishabh Pant-led @LucknowIPL that prevail in a thrilling run fest 🥳
They bag 2️⃣ crucial points with a 4️⃣-run victory over #KKR 👏
Scorecard ▶ https://t.co/3bQPKnxnJs#TATAIPL | #KKRvLSG pic.twitter.com/31clVQk1dD
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 8, 2025
Rahane and Narine built a magnificent 54-run partnership before the latter was dismissed in the seventh over when the team score was 91. After Narine’s departure, left-hand batter Venkatesh Iyer came to bat with the captain. The Ajinkya Rahane-led side brought up their 100 in the eighth over and the 150-run mark in the 13th over.
At the score of 162, the Kolkata side lost their third wicket as Ajinkya Rahane was sent back by right-arm seamer Shardul Thakur. Next to wickets of the Knight Riders fell in quick succession as they lost Ramandeep Singh (1) and Angrish Raghuvanshi (5) very cheaply.
In the 16th over, KKR lost the wicket of Venkatesh Iyer on the bowling of Akash Deep. Following this wicket, the team score was 177/6 in 15. 2 overs. Andre Russell (7 runs in 4 balls) was the next one to be dismissed. He went back in the 17th over on the bowling of Shardul Thakur.
The Kolkata-based franchise completed the 200-run mark in the in the 18th over as Rinku Singh slammed a boundary on the bowling of young leg-spinner Digvesh Rathi Kolkata Knight Riders fell short of the target by just four runs as the side finished at 234/7 in their 20 overs with Rinku Singh (38 runs off 15 balls) and Harshit Rana (10 runs from 9 balls) unbeaten on the crease.
For the Rishabh Pant-led side, two wickets each were snapped by Akash Deep (2/55) & Shardul Thakur (2/52) and one wicket each were grabbed Avesh Khan (1/45), Digvesh Rathi (1/33) and Ravi Bishnoi (1/47) in their respective spell of four overs.
Earlier in the day, after KKR won the toss and opted to field first, LSG openers Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram took the attack to KKR bowlers, particularly Spencer Johnson, with Markram dominating him with two fours and a six in the fourth over, giving his team 18 runs.
The final over of the powerplay by Harshit Rana was also a big one, as Marsh and Markram collected a six each, bringing up the 50-run mark in 5.2 overs. At the end of six overs in the powerplay, LSG was 59/0, with Markram (36*) and Marsh (21*) unbeaten. Marsh and Markram even dominated Sunil Narine, with his first two overs going for 23 runs in total and Marsh getting an upper hand against him.
At the end of 10 overs, LSG was 95/0, with Aiden Markram (43*) and Mitchell Marsh (48*) unbeaten. The 99-run partnership between the duo was broken as a slower ball from Harshit Rana cleaned Markram’s stumps for 47 in 28 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes just after he hit Harshit for a four.
LSG reached their 100-run mark in 10.3 overs. Marsh reached his fourth fifty in five matches in 36 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes. LSG continued to make a meal out of Spencer, as three fours by Marsh and Nicholas Pooran and two wides gave them 16 runs in the 12th over. Vaibhav Arora continued throwing some extras and faced some big hitting from Marsh.
Even the red-hot Varun Chakravarthy was dragged into the this carnage, giving away 16 runs in his final over, with two sixes from the duo. LSG reached 150-run mark in 13.3 overs. Pooran dominated spin, reaching his 2,000 IPL runs and hitting two sixes against Narine.
Andre Russell brought an end to the carnage, removing Marsh for 81 in 48 balls, with six fours and five sixes, ending a quickfire 70-run stand in 30 balls. LSG was 170/2 in 15.2 overs. At death overs phase, Pooran continued to wreck LSG bowlers, bringing up his third fifty of the season in just 21 balls, with two fours and six sixes. He demolished Russell with three fours and two sixes in his over. Russell gave away 24 runs and LSG reached their 200-run mark in 17.3 overs.
Rana’s second wicket, cleaning up Abdul Samad for just six runs, gave KKR some temporary respite. KKR is 221/3 in 18.2 overs. LSG finished at 238/3 in their 20 overs, with Pooran (87* in 36 balls, with seven fours and eight sixes) and David Miller (4*) unbeaten.
Harshit Rana though the most expensive bowler, took 2/51 in four overs. Spencer Johnson was taken to the cleaners, giving away 46 runs in three overs. Russell took 2/32 in his two overs. The spin duo of Narine, Varun did not work as they went wicketless with 0/38 in three overs and 0/31 in four overs respectively. (ANI)
