INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE | WITH 5.33 ER SHAMI IS THE MOST ECONOMICAL BOWLER OF IPL 2026 SO FAR
Kolkata, April 9: Mukul Choudhary stood against all the odds and remained unbeaten at 54 off just 27 balls as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) chased down the target of 182 runs on the final ball of the match and registered a three-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday.
Earlier, captain Ajinkya Rahane and young batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi played key knocks, while Rovman Powell provided a late boost as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) posted 181/4 in 20 overs.
Chasing a challenging total on a slow surface, LSG got off to a strong start with Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh scoring freely at over 10 runs per over. The pair took the team to 41 in just four overs.
However, KKR bounced back in the fifth over through Vaibhav Arora, who dismissed Markram for 22 and Marsh for 15 in the same over.
Captain Rishabh Pant tried to stabilise the innings alongside Ayush Badoni, but struggled for rhythm and was dismissed by Cameron Green for 10. Nicholas Pooran also failed to make an impact, scoring 13 before getting out in the 12th over, while Abdul Samad departed cheaply.
With wickets falling at the other end, Badoni held the innings together and scored a well-made 54 off 34 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes. However, he was dismissed soon after reaching his half-century.
After Badoni’s departure, Mukul took charge of the chase. He played aggressively, hitting multiple sixes and keeping LSG in the hunt. In the final over, LSG needed 14 runs, and Mukul held his nerve, smashing two sixes before completing the winning run on the last ball. He brought up his fifty in just 26 balls and remained unbeaten on 54.
Earlier, after being asked to bat first, Kolkata Knight Riders had a steady but cautious start, with Mohammed Shami conceding just six runs in the opening over. The early breakthrough came when Finn Allen was dismissed for nine, caught off Prince Yadav.
Following the setback, Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi rebuilt the innings with a composed partnership. They started carefully before accelerating late in the power play, taking the team to 52/1 in six overs. The pair continued to rotate strike effectively and punished loose deliveries, guiding KKR to 98/1 at the halfway mark.
Their 84-run stand ended in the 11th over when Digvesh Rathi dismissed Rahane for a brisk 41. Soon after, Manimaran Siddharth removed Raghuvanshi for 45, leaving KKR just short of a strong platform.
The middle overs saw a slowdown, with Rinku Singh falling cheaply and boundaries drying up. However, Rovman Powell revived the innings with aggressive hitting in the death overs, scoring an unbeaten 39. Cameron Green also chipped in with an unbeaten 32 as KKR finished at 181/4.
For Lucknow Super Giants, Prince Yadav, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi, and Manimaran Siddharth took one wicket each.
In the end, as the floodlights at Eden Gardens cast long shadows over a contest that swung like a pendulum, it was a night that belonged to nerve, belief, and one man’s refusal to surrender. (Agencies)
BRIEF SCORES
Kolkata Knight Riders: 181 for 4 in 20 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 45, Ajinkya Rahane 41; Digvesh Singh Rathi 1/25).
Lucknow Super Giants: 182 for 7 in 20 overs (Ayush Badoni 54, Mukul Choudhary 54 not out; Anukul Roy 2/32).
