The Lucknow Super Giants emerged victorious with a score of 238 for 3, thanks to standout performances from Pooran who scored 87 runs and Marsh who contributed 81 runs. Markram also put in a solid effort with 47 runs, while Harshit took 2 wickets for Kolkata Knight Riders with figures of 2-51. Despite their efforts, Kolkata Knight Riders fell just short at 234 for 7, with Rahane scoring 61 runs and Venkatesh and Rinku chipping in with scores of 45 and 38 respectively. Thakur was the top bowler for Lucknow Super Giants with figures of 2-52. In the end, Lucknow Super Giants came out on top by a narrow margin of four runs.
LSG achieved their second-highest score in the IPL, but faced a tough challenge in the chase as they gave away 90 runs in the powerplay. However, they managed to turn the game around by causing KKR to collapse with a loss of 5 wickets for only 23 runs at Eden Gardens.
In the IPL 2025 match, LSG reached a total of 238 thanks to Mitchell Marsh’s fourth half-century and Nicholas Pooran’s impressive 36-ball 87. KKR also had a strong start, with Ajinkya Rahane leading the charge with a top score of 61 in just 35 balls. Despite forming productive alliances with Venkatesh Iyer and Sunil Narine, they were unable to secure victory for the home team.
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During a match in which all bowlers were on the move, LSG remained committed to their five chosen bowlers. Despite causing numerous wides and giving up more than fifty runs in their four overs, Shardul Thakur and Akash Deep also managed to claim crucial wickets that ultimately disrupted the opponent’s pursuit.
KKR deviates from their path
At the 13th over, the hosts were standing strong at 162 for 2, with only 77 runs left to win in 43 balls. However, KKR’s middle-order batsmen seemed to continually take risks and ended up getting caught by fielders. Ramandeep Singh’s shot off Ravi Bishnoi was caught by Aiden Markram at long-off, Angkrish Raghuvanshi mistimed a reverse sweep off Avesh Khan and was caught by the wicketkeeper, while Venkatesh, who had been going strong, miscued a full ball from Akash Deep and was subsequently caught at long-on.
Although Andre Russell was dismissed by Thakur’s full toss, Rinku Singh’s unbeaten 38 off just 15 balls kept the chase alive. However, LSG’s strategy of rotating their bowlers and utilizing spinners in the final overs proved successful in securing a narrow four-run victory.
KKR’s explosive beginning
Starting the pursuit, Akash Deep initially struggled to locate his line, resulting in three wides being bowled down leg. The first of these wides managed to make its way to the boundary, but the second would also have done so if not for Rishabh Pant’s swift run and dive to the left. Taking full advantage of some well-placed balls, Narine and Quinton de Kock each hit a six. Despite Thakur’s slower balls causing some trouble for Narine, KKR raced to an impressive score of 31 without any loss after just two overs.
A jaffa from Akash Deep outwitted de Kock’s defense, leading to an unsuccessful review by Pant. However, Akash Deep redeemed himself the following ball by successfully reviewing an lbw that was in line with the stumps and deceived de Kock’s shot across the line. Meanwhile, Thakur attempted to bowl wide but ended up with three wides, while Narine hit the remaining two for a six and a four over cover.
Rahane was fortunate to find an edge behind point, but he capitalized on it with two consecutive fours via a flick. Pant stuck with Akash Deep for another over, but Rahane continued to display his high-quality batting skills by hitting boundaries fit for Test cricket, such as a square drive off a length ball. The KKR captain then took on Avesh again, this time sending two sixes soaring over the leg side with impressive flicks, bringing their total to 90 for 1 by the end of the powerplay.
The talented legspinner, Digvesh Rathi, was called in immediately after the powerplay. He made an immediate impact by pitching a wide ball that spun away, causing Narine to mistime his shot and sending it out towards long-off.
Venkatesh and Rahane maintained a strong pace by putting up 71 runs in a third-wicket partnership lasting 40 balls. Although Rathi managed to get an edge off Venkatesh’s back-foot square drive, the ball deflected sharply and resulted in a four off the flap of Pant’s gloves.
An innovative paddle by Rahane achieved a 26-ball fifty. Venkatesh, on the other hand, struck two boundaries off Rathi, thus rejuvenating the pace of the attack. Thakur’s wide bowling tactic resulted in five consecutive extras to begin the 13th over, which eventually led to Rahane’s dismissal at cover and the ensuing collapse.
Markram and Marsh effectively maintain a subdued performance from KKR.
In the previous match, Marsh and Markram recorded the highest opening partnership of this season so far, tallying a total of 99 runs. The first six overs saw a contribution of 59 runs from their partnership. One end saw 46 runs being scored in just three overs, while the other end added 13 runs. The pair confidently faced off against Spencer Johnson, hitting three boundaries and two sixes primarily on the leg side, where the boundary was shorter.
Varun Chakravarthy was brought in during the fifth over and only conceded five runs. He caused the ball to turn and bounce, resulting in Markram attempting a sweep and almost getting bowled. However, Harshit Rana was unable to continue the success as the openers hit two sixes off of his bowling. Markram skillfully cut the ball over deep third while Marsh opted for a slower one and powerfully struck it down the ground.
As soon as Narine entered the field, Marsh refused to let him find his rhythm. He aggressively sweeped a ball towards the stumps, and followed it up by pulling another short ball behind square leg. Despite three calmer overs from the spinners, LSG’s score rose to 95 for 0 in the middle of the game.
Harshit initially struggled when he bowled a short and wide delivery, resulting in a cut on return. However, he redeemed himself with an offcutter that outsmarted Markram’s attempted flick and hit the middle and off stumps. In the same over, Marsh also took advantage of a short-and-wide ball by cutting it for a 36-ball fifty. His aggressive approach against pace continued as he hit both a six and a four over the leg side when facing Vaibhav Arora.
KKR suffers from Pooran’s fierce attack.
After Pooran started off with a few cuts against Johnson, he really found his stride when facing the spinners. Despite Varun’s initial wide delivery, Pooran confidently drove the ball over cover for a six. In Narine’s following over, Pooran cleverly executed a slog sweep and an impressive lofted shot that resulted in Narine not bowling a fourth over.
Russell managed to dismiss Marsh with a well-executed slower ball, which was then cut to deep point. However, Pooran remained undeterred and continued his aggressive batting style. He reached his half-century in just 21 balls, hitting a six behind square and two more off Harshit’s bowling in the following over. Even Russell couldn’t escape Pooran’s onslaught in the 18th over; he tried short balls, but they were pulled effortlessly by Pooran. One missed yorker met the same fate as it was crushed down the ground. As a result, Pooran added another three fours and two sixes to his tally, making the 24-run over the most expensive of the entire innings.
With Harshit’s pace variations and Arora’s yorkers in the final two overs, only three fours were hit despite Pooran staying at the crease until the end.
