Kathmandu, April 27: Kolkata Knight Riders secured a dramatic Super Over victory over Lucknow Super Giants to earn crucial points in the Indian Premier League 2026. The match, played on Sunday night, became the first game of the season to be decided by a Super Over, with Kolkata holding their nerve to seal the win.
Lucknow set a modest target of just 2 runs in the Super Over. However, Kolkata chased it down in style as Rinku Singh smashed a boundary off the very first ball to clinch victory. Earlier, Sunil Narine delivered a brilliant Super Over, dismissing Nicholas Pooran on the first ball. Lucknow captain Rishabh Pant managed just a single before Aiden Markram was caught out, leaving them with a minimal total.
The match had ended in a tie after both teams scored 155 runs in their allotted 20 overs. Chasing 156, Lucknow forced the game into a Super Over thanks to a शानदार last-ball six from Mohammed Shami. The final over had turned into a thriller, with 17 runs required.
For Lucknow, Rishabh Pant top-scored with 42 runs, while Aiden Markram added 31. Ayush Badoni contributed 24, and Himmat Singh chipped in with 19. For Kolkata, Vaibhav Arora and Varun Chakravarthy picked up two wickets each.
Earlier, after being put in to bat, Kolkata posted 155 for 7 in 20 overs. Rinku Singh played a standout innings, remaining unbeaten on 83 off 51 balls to rescue his side from trouble. He also shared a crucial 62-run partnership with Sunil Narine.
Lucknow’s Mohsin Khan was the pick of the bowlers, claiming an impressive five wickets for just 23 runs in his four overs.
With this win, Kolkata move up to eighth place with 5 points from 8 matches, while Lucknow slip to the bottom of the table with 4 points from the same number of games.
