Kolkata, April 9 (NationPress) In a remarkable display of skill, Mukul Choudhary achieved an unbeaten score of 54 from just 27 deliveries, leading Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to chase down a target of 182 runs on the last ball, securing a thrilling three-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match held at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday.

Earlier in the game, KKR's captain Ajinkya Rahane and the promising young batsman Angkrish Raghuvanshi made significant contributions, while Rovman Powell provided a late surge, allowing KKR to set a total of 181/4 across their 20 overs.

Starting their chase on a sluggish pitch, LSG began strong with Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh scoring briskly at a rate exceeding 10 runs per over. They propelled the team to 41 runs within just four overs.

However, KKR made a comeback in the fifth over, as Vaibhav Arora took out Markram for 22 runs and Marsh for 15 runs in the same over.

Captain Rishabh Pant worked to stabilize the innings alongside Ayush Badoni, but struggled to find his rhythm and fell to Cameron Green for just 10 runs. Nicholas Pooran also had a lackluster performance, managing only 13 runs before being dismissed in the 12th over, with Abdul Samad also leaving cheaply.

Despite the loss of wickets at the other end, Badoni anchored the innings with a solid 54 runs off 34 balls, which included seven fours and two sixes. Unfortunately, he was dismissed shortly after reaching his half-century.

Following Badoni’s exit, Mukul stepped up to lead the chase. He played aggressively, launching several sixes and keeping LSG in contention. With 14 runs needed in the final over, Mukul remained composed, hitting two sixes before clinching the win on the last delivery. He reached his half-century in just 26 balls and ended with an unbeaten 54.

Earlier, KKR, batting first, started steadily but cautiously, with Mohammed Shami allowing only six runs in the opening over. The first breakthrough came when Finn Allen was dismissed for nine runs, caught off Prince Yadav.

After this setback, Rahane and Raghuvanshi rebuilt the innings with a solid partnership, starting cautiously before accelerating during the power play, bringing the score to 52/1 in six overs. They effectively rotated the strike, punishing loose deliveries, and guiding KKR to 98/1 at the halfway point.

Their 84-run partnership was broken in the 11th over when Digvesh Rathi dismissed Rahane for a brisk 41 runs. Soon after, Manimaran Siddharth took out Raghuvanshi for 45 runs, leaving KKR in need of a solid finish.

The middle overs saw a slowdown in scoring as Rinku Singh fell cheaply, and boundaries became scarce. However, Powell revived the innings with aggressive hitting in the death overs, finishing unbeaten on 39 runs. Cameron Green contributed an unbeaten 32 runs as KKR concluded their innings at 181/4.

For LSG, Prince Yadav, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi, and Manimaran Siddharth each took one wicket.

Brief scores:

Kolkata Knight Riders 181/4 in 20 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 45, Ajinkya Rahane 41, Rovman Powell 39; Digvesh Rathi 1-25, Manimaran Siddharth 1-34) lost to Lucknow Super Giants 182/7 in 20 overs (Mukul Choudhary 54*, Ayush Badoni 54; Anukul Roy 3-32, Vaibhav Arora 2-38) by three wickets.