Lucknow Super Giants raced to a nail-biting win, beating Kolkata Knight Riders by three wickets in a final-ball thriller at Eden Gardens on Thursday. Chasing 182, LSG endured a disastrous start. The top order crumbled under pressure, with Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, and skipper Rishabh Pant all departing cheaply. KKR's Cameron Green made an immediate impact with the ball, striking in his very first over to remove Pant. Amid the collapse, Ayush Badoni showed great intent. His counterattacking 54 off 34 balls kept Lucknow in contention.
However, the outcome hung in the balance until the final moments of the match. After Badoni's departure, the chase belonged to Lucknow’s star Mukul Choudhary, whose pulsating knock turned the tide in LSG's favour. His quickfire 54* off 27 balls took LSG to victory. The match reached its climax in the final over, with Lucknow needing 14 runs off the final over. Avesh Khan, who was batting alongside Mukul, took a quick single and handed the strike to Mukul. And he did the job with perfection, slamming two sixes and taking LSG to one of the most electrifying victories in the IPL. Lucknow finished at 182/7 in 20 overs.
Earlier, after being asked to bat, KKR put together a competitive total of 181/4 in 20 overs. The innings was led by steady contributions from captain Ajinkya Rahane and the promising Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who scored 41 and 45, respectively. Later, Rovman Powell injected momentum into the innings with 39* off 24 balls. Adding to the late flourish, KKR’s high-profile signing Cameron Green stayed unbeaten on 32 from 24 deliveries.