Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants (Match 68) – Highlights

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had no choice but to win to stay in the playoff fight. In such a situation, the Knight Riders left the tournament after losing by 1 run in a disappointing match at their ground. Another great innings by Rinku Singh went in vain. Along with that, Lucknow Super Giant (LSG) confirmed the playoffs by defeating KKR.

Losing the toss at Eden Gardens on Saturday (May 20), LSG lost 8 wickets to score 176 runs in the allotted 20 overs. In response, KKR’s innings stopped after losing 7 wickets after collecting 175 runs.

Many matches in this year’s IPL have had dramatic endings. Many matches have been decided by the last ball. However, such a dramatic exit from the tournament was perhaps not expected by KKR fans.

Chasing down the target of 177 runs in about 8 overs would have kept KKR’s playoff chances alive. When that could not be done, the cricketers of KKR wanted to return home with at least the consolation of victory in the last match.

But even that victory was not possible due to last-minute drama. Knight Riders had to end their campaign in this year’s IPL with a defeat by just 1 run against Super Giants.  

With that, Super Giants confirmed the playoffs of IPL 2023 as the third team after Gujarat Titans (GT) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, they had the opportunity to play in the first qualifier from the top two. In that case, LSG should have won the match by 97 runs. But it didn’t happen. Moreover, KKR, Punjab Kings (PBKS), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and Delhi Capitals (DC) have been eliminated from the tournament.

KKR needed 21 runs to win in the final over of the game. If they scored 20, the match would have been tied. Vaibhav Arora was on strike and Rinku was on the crease with an unbeaten 51 off 28 balls at the other end of the wicket. Vaibhav gave the strike to Rinku with a single off bowler Yash Thakur’s first ball. The next ball was wide. 2 runs came when the first ball was completed.

Yash managed to bowl dot balls on the next two balls dramatically, which didn’t let Rinku take a single run. The fourth ball went wide again. That meant only 3 runs from three balls. The drama was still there. Rinku hit the fourth ball over the boundary for a six. 12 runs were required off the last 2 balls to get the desired victory for KKR. Rinku has the experience of hitting consecutive sixes. That is why everyone was waiting to see the final drama.  

Rinku could not hit a six on the 5th ball. However, he hit a boundary. 1 run difference was created. Rinku hit a six in the last ball. But that 1 run gap remained till the end. KKR had to lose by 1 run. Rinku remained unbeaten with 67 runs off 33 balls with 6 fours and 4 sixes.

Chasing the target of 177 runs to win, KKR started pretty well. Jason Roy and Venkatesh Iyer put on a partnership of 61 runs in 5.5 overs. Venkatesh got out after scoring 24 runs off 15 balls. When this pair was broken, the team lost rhythm.  

Jason Roy was out for 45 off 28 balls. Skipper Nitish Rana was out for 8 runs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 10 runs off 15 balls. Andre Russell scored 7, Shardul Thakur made 3, and Sunil Narine got out for 1 run. Rinku’s devastating batting gave some win chances to Knight Riders. But it was not possible due to last-minute drama.

Ravi Bishnoi and Yash Thakur took the maximum number of 2 wickets each for LSG. Apart from this, Krunal Pandya and Krishnappa Gowtham took 1 wicket each. 

Before going to bat first, LSG was in some danger at the beginning but managed themselves at the end nicely. Opener Karan Sharma was dismissed for 3 runs. Quinton de Kock collected 28 runs off 27 balls. Prerak Mankad got 26 runs off 20 balls. Marcus Stoinis failed to score any runs. Captain Krunal scored 9 runs.

Ayush Badoni scored 25 runs off 21 balls. Nicholas Pooran played a devastating innings. He scored 58 runs off 30 balls with the help of 4 boundaries and 5 sixes for the winning side. Krishnappa remained unbeaten with 11 runs off 4 balls. Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, and Shardul Thakur took the highest number of 2 wickets each for KKR. Besides, Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy got 1 wicket each.

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants Scoreboard

Lucknow Super Giants – 176/8 (20.0)

Kolkata Knight Riders – 175/7 (20.0)

Result – Lucknow Super Giants won by 4 wickets

Player of the match – Nicholas Pooran

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants Playing XIs