Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) held their nerve to edge past Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by just four runs in a high-octane clash at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, in Match 19 of TATA IPL 2025. A power-packed innings from Nicholas Pooran (87* off 36) and Mitchell Marsh (81 off 48) powered LSG to a massive 238/3 before their bowlers held firm in the final overs to seal a last-over thriller.

In a match that was rescheduled from Sunday, April 6, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane opted to bowl first in front of a raucous Eden Gardens crowd. His counterpart, Rishabh Pant, led LSG with the in-form opening pair of Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram continuing their partnership.

 

 

 

 

 

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After a quiet start that saw Vaibhav Arora concede just three runs in the opening over, Marsh and Markram turned up the tempo. Marsh started off with a towering six off Spencer Johnson in the second over, before Markram joined the party by taking on the same bowler. The duo kept the momentum going, and despite Arora’s disciplined spell, LSG reached 59/0 at the end of the powerplay.

Markram, who had played second fiddle in earlier games, took the lead role this time with clean hitting and innovation. At the halfway mark, LSG had posted a strong 95/0, but KKR found a breakthrough in the 11th over when Harshit Rana cleaned up Markram for 47 off 28, just three runs short of a half-century.

Marsh, meanwhile, notched up his fourth fifty of the season and was joined by Nicholas Pooran. Together, the pair stitched a 71-run stand before Marsh departed for a blistering 81 off 48, having struck six fours and five sixes.

 

 

 

 

 

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Pooran then shifted gears rapidly. He brought up his fifty in just 21 balls, and tore into his fellow West Indian Andre Russell in the 18th over, smashing him for 24 runs with a flurry of sixes and fours. Although KKR restricted LSG to just 21 runs in the final two overs, Pooran remained unbeaten on 87 off 36 balls, which included seven fours and eight sixes. LSG ended with 238/3, their second-highest total in IPL history.

 

 

 

 

 

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Chasing 239, KKR needed a strong start and got exactly that. Quinton de Kock began positively with two sixes but fell to Akash Deep for 15 after a successful DRS review overturned the on-field decision. Ajinkya Rahane then joined Sunil Narine, and the pair unleashed a brutal attack that saw KKR race to 90/1 at the end of the powerplay, their second-highest powerplay score in IPL history.

However, LSG's rising star Digvesh Rathi came into the attack immediately after the powerplay and struck with his second ball, dismissing Narine for 30 off 13.

Rahane continued the assault and brought up his second half-century of the season off just 26 balls, with Venkatesh Iyer providing strong support. KKR were cruising at 129/2 in 10 overs, just above the required run rate.

 

 

 

 

 

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But LSG pulled things back dramatically. In the 13th over, Shardul Thakur, playing his 100th IPL game, bowled five consecutive wides before conceding a boundary only to bounce back by dismissing the well-set Rahane on the final ball of the over.

In the next three overs, LSG took three more wickets. Ravi Bishnoi removed Ramandeep Singh, Avesh Khan dismissed Angkrish Raghuvanshi, and Akash Deep got rid of Venkatesh Iyer (45 off 29). From 162/2, KKR slipped to 177/6, losing four wickets in just 15 balls.

KKR’s last hope rested on the explosive pair of Andre Russell and Rinku Singh, with 54 needed off 24 balls. But Shardul Thakur returned to remove Russell in the 17th over thanks to a sensational catch by David Miller at long-off.

 

 

 

 

 

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Despite Rinku Singh’s late fireworks, including 14 runs off Avesh Khan in the penultimate over,  KKR needed 24 from the final over. Harshit Rana began with a four, but Ravi Bishnoi controlled the rest. With 19 required off the last 3 balls, Rinku tried valiantly with two fours and a six, but KKR eventually fell four runs short, finishing on 234/7.

With this win, LSG sealed back-to-back victories in IPL 2025 and showcased a clinical mix of explosive batting and clutch bowling. KKR, despite the strong foundation laid by Rahane and Narine, will rue their middle-order collapse that derailed an otherwise promising chase.

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