Rinku Singh's heroics with the bat, first with an unbeaten 83 to post 155/7 and then a four in the super over, guided KKR to a thrilling victory over LSG in their IPL 2026 clash. Mohsin Khan's 5/23 for LSG went in vain.
Dramatic Finish Sees KKR Win in Super Over
Rinku Singh guided Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a comfortable victory over the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Sunday in the first super over of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) in Lucknow. LSG only managed to score a run in the Super over, setting a target of two runs for KKR. In reply, Singh slammed a four on the first ball to seal the match for KKR.
Earlier, defending 17 off the final over, Tyagi bowled two weight-height no-balls. Himmat Singh, making use of the fit-hit, slammed a cracking four on the 2nd ball. However, Tyagi came back strongly, removing Singh on the following ball. Shami smashed a six on the final ball to take the match to the super over.
LSG Falter in Run Chase
LSG's pursuit began on a shaky note as they lost Mitchell Marsh early in the Powerplay. Following the early blow, captain Rishabh Pant and Aiden Markram looked to rebuild. However, the KKR bowling attack, led by the discipline of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy, made run-scoring difficult. The pair adopted an ultra-cautious approach, reaching just 57/1 after 9 overs. While they managed a 49-run partnership, the lack of boundaries increased the required run rate steadily toward double digits.
The match swung decisively in KKR's favour in the middle overs. Just as LSG needed to accelerate, Markram was dismissed for 30, courtesy of a spectacular catch by Rinku Singh on the boundary off Cameron Green's bowling. Soon after, Rishabh Pant's stay at the crease ended following a clever review by KKR keeper Tim Seifert, leaving LSG reeling at 81/3 in the 13th over.
With the required rate touching 11 runs per over, the burden fell on Ayush Badoni and the lower order. Nicholas Pooran's stay was also a short stay at the crease as he was removed by Varun Chakaravarthy for 9 off 12 balls.
Mukul Choudhary followed Pooran back to the pavilion as he also departed for just 1 in the 16th over, bringing Himmat Singh to the crease. Singh and Badoni opened up their arms and took on Kartik Tyagi in the 17th over, smashing him for 14 runs.
In the following, over Chakaravarthy got the better of Badoni for 24 off 19, bringing George Linde to the crease.
Vaibhav Arora, in the 19th over, got the better of Linde for 8, bringing Mohammed Shami to the crease. Shami slammed a four on the very first ball he faced.
Rinku Singh's Heroics Rescue KKR
Earlier in the match, Rinku Singh's resilient unbeaten innings of 83 off 51 balls helped KKR overcome LSG Mohsin Khan's career-best bowling figures of 5/23 in four overs to post 155/7 in 20 overs in their IPL 2026 match on Sunday. KKR recovered from a catastrophic collapse that saw them reeling at 93/7 in 15 overs to post a competitive 155/7, setting up a thrilling second half against the LSG.
Mohsin Khan's Five-Wicket Haul Wrecks KKR
After LSG captain Rishabh Pant won the toss and elected to bowl, his decision was immediately backed by Mohsin Khan. The left-arm pacer produced one of the most devastating opening spells of the season, dismantling KKR's batting core with ruthless efficiency.
Mohsin struck early, a duck in the second over. He continued his rampage by dismissing veteran Ajinkya Rahane (10) in the fourth over and then the dangerous Cameron Green (34), who had briefly threatened to counter-attack with three sixes, in the 11th over. Mohsin also got rid of Rovman Powell and Anukul Roy to complete a sensational five-wicket haul (5/23), leaving KKR reeling at 73/6 after 11 overs. With wickets falling at regular intervals, the visitors looked unlikely to even cross the 100-run mark.
Rinku's Late Carnage
However, with his team in dire straits, Rinku Singh played a composed innings, rebuilding the total alongside the lower order. As the match entered the final stretch, KKR were sitting at 112/7 in 18 overs with Rinku playing at 43 off 40 balls.
However, the left-hand batter saved his best for the last as he helped KKR get 17 runs from the penultimate over, bowled by Mohammed Shami. He then unleashed carnage in the last over bowled by Digvesh Rathi, slamming the spinner for four consecutive sixes to get 26 runs from the over and finish KKR's innings at 155/7 in 20 overs. Rinku stayed unbeaten in his innings of 83 runs off 51 balls, decorated with seven fours and five sixes.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
