Kolkata: Led by Ajinkya Rahane, Kolkata Knight Riders (181/4 in 20 overs) suffered a heartbreaking last-ball defeat against Lucknow Super Giants (182/7 in 20 overs) at Eden Gardens on Thursday, as they once again failed to register their first win of the ongoing IPL season.
Lucknow had a modest start and kept losing wickets at regular intervals in the middle overs, but they stayed in the hunt till the very end. Mukul Chaudhary, who was bought for ₹2.60 crore, played a sensational unbeaten knock of 54 off 27 balls (7 sixes, 2 fours) to guide Lucknow to a thrilling three-wicket victory off the final ball.
Lucknow needed 14 runs in the final over bowled by pacer Vaibhav Arora, and Mukul smashed two sixes to pull off a dramatic finish. Notably, Gujarat had pulled off a similar last-ball thriller against Delhi just a day earlier.
Earlier in the chase, Lucknow looked in control while Nicholas Pooran (13 off 15) and Ayush Badoni (54 off 34; 2 sixes, 7 fours) were at the crease. However, Pooran’s dismissal in the 12th over — caught by Ramandeep Singh near the boundary off a short ball from Kartik Tyagi — proved to be a turning point.
Lucknow gradually began to lose their grip on the match, but Mukul Chaudhary held firm and ensured the team crossed the finish line. He was well supported till the end by Avesh Khan (1*). Vaibhav Arora and Anukul Roy picked up two wickets each for Kolkata.
Kolkata post 181 but no half-centuries
Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders put up 181/4 in their 20 overs after being asked to bat first. Interestingly, none of their batters managed to score a half-century.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi (45), captain Ajinkya Rahane (41), Rovman Powell (39), and Cameron Green (32) made useful contributions.
Lucknow’s Mohammed Shami went wicketless but kept things tight, while Prince, Rathi, Siddharth, and Avesh Khan picked up one wicket each.
Cameron Green bowls for the first time
Cameron Green, who was bought for ₹25.20 crore to play for Kolkata this season, had failed with the bat in his first three matches. On Thursday, he bowled for the first time this season and made an immediate impact by dismissing Rishabh Pant (10) off just his second ball.
However, Mukul Chaudhary later took charge against him, smashing two sixes and a four in his over during the closing stages.
Match to watch on Friday
Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
(Guwahati, from 7:30 PM)