Lucknow Super Giants triumphed over Kolkata Knight Riders in a thrilling encounter to seal their spot in the playoffs of IPL 2023. Krunal Pandya's side survived a massive scare from Rinku Singh to get over the line by a solitary run.
The home side started the chase like a house on fire, milking 30 runs off the first two overs. KKR's makeshift opening pair of Jason Roy and Venkatesh Iyer took a liking to the LSG pacers, smashing 61 runs in the first six overs of the chase.
However, much like their previous outing, Krunal Pandya's side found a way back into the contest after dismissing the well-set openers as the spinners took control of the proceedings after the powerplay. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Andre Russell also departed in quick succession to hand the initiative to the visitors, who were hoping to seal their qualification to the playoffs with a victory.
Even though LSG were on top in the death overs, Rinku Singh's blistering half-century provided them with an almighty scare after he smashed 20 runs off the penultimate over. However, he was left with too much to do in the end as the visitors eventually won the game in a thrilling finish.
Nicholas Pooran's explosive half-century helps LSG to a competitive total after a shocking start
Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Nitish Rana won the toss and decided to bowl first on a decent strip at the iconic Eden Gardens. KKR's fast bowling unit, who has been under the pump for the entirety of the tournament, made a solid start after Harshit Rana dismissed Karan Sharma in the third over of the match.
Despite that initial loss, the visitors managed a healthy powerplay thanks to Quinton de Kock and Prerak Mankad's steady partnership for the second wicket. While Mankad was dismissed by Vaibhav Arora in the first over of the powerplay, it was Marcus Stoinis' departure for a two-ball duck in the same over that rocked the Lucknow Super Giants.
LSG skipper Krunal Pandya and opener Quinton de Kock also departed in quick succession to compound the miseries of the visitors. With the team reeling at 73/5 in the 11th over of the match, explosive West Indian import Nicholas Pooran launched a scathing assault on the Men in Purple. Pooran smashed 58 runs off just 30 deliveries to take his side to a competitive total of 176 runs in their 20 overs.
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