Kolkata Suffers Second Consecutive Home Defeat: Lucknow Clinches Thrilling 4-Run Victory; Pooran’s Unbeaten 87 Steals the Show
In a nail-biting contest in IPL 2025, the Lucknow Super Giants edged past the Kolkata Knight Riders by just 4 runs, handing Kolkata their second straight loss at home. Previously, KKR had been defeated by Royal Challengers Bangalore by 7 wickets.
Playing at the iconic Eden Gardens on Tuesday, Kolkata fell just short in their chase of a daunting 239-run target, finishing at 234/7 in their 20 overs. Rinku Singh fought till the end with an unbeaten 38 off 15 balls, while skipper Ajinkya Rahane contributed a solid 61 runs. Venkatesh Iyer added 45, and together with Rahane, shared a 71-run partnership off 40 balls. However, the collapse began soon after that stand was broken. For Lucknow, Avesh Khan and Shardul Thakur picked up two wickets each.
Batting first after losing the toss, Lucknow posted a massive 238/3 in their 20 overs. Nicholas Pooran was the standout performer, smashing an unbeaten 87 off just 36 deliveries. Mitchell Marsh scored a blistering 81, while Aiden Markram chipped in with 47. On the bowling front for KKR, Harshit Rana took two wickets and Andre Russell picked up one.
Ajinkya Rahane reached his half-century in the 11th over, taking only 26 balls. This marked his 50th T20 fifty — a notable milestone in his career.
KKR lost their second wicket in the seventh over when Sunil Narine, after scoring 30, was caught by Aiden Markram off Digvijay Rathore’s bowling.
Pant’s Review Results in de Kock’s Dismissal
Avesh Khan’s second and third overs were full of drama. Quinton de Kock hit a six over fine leg on the first ball of the over. On the very next delivery, Rishabh Pant appealed for a catch and opted for DRS, but the review was unsuccessful.
On the third ball, Avesh delivered a short-length ball that struck de Kock on the pads as he attempted a pull shot. Although the on-field umpire ruled it not out, Pant reviewed once again. This time, the DRS showed the ball was hitting the stumps, and de Kock was dismissed for 15. Later in the same over, captain Rahane struck two boundaries off the last two balls, adding 14 runs in total.
