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Kolkata Knight Riders recorded a thrilling victory against Lucknow Super Giants in the first super over action of the IPL 2026 on Sunday, April 26. KKR also rose in the points table with their second win of the season, keeping their slim hopes for the playoffs.
Lucknow Super Giants failed to chase down a 156-run target at Ekana Cricket Stadium, but Mohammed Shami's six on the last ball of the innings took the game to the super over. Sunil Narine then bowled a stunning over to restrict LSG to 1 run. Rinku Singh, who scored 83* off 51 balls, smashed a four on the first ball to power KKR to a deserving win.
A win lifted Kolkata Knight Riders from the bottom to the eighth position, and a defeat pushed LSG down to the 10th place.
Rinku Singh's batting heroics led Kolkata Knight Riders to fighting total
After a match-winning performance against Rajasthan, Rinku Singh played another memorable knock to save KKR's blushes. Tif Seifert's poor run continued with a three-ball duck, and Rahane fell on 10, followed by Angkrish Raghvanshi walking out, obstructing the field.
Cameron Green's resurgence continued with another crucial knock of 34 off 21 balls. But it was Rinku who led Kolkata Knight Riders' batting attack for the team. The left-handed batter smashed 83 off just 51 balls with the help of five sixes, four of which came off Digvesh Rathi in the 20th over.
Mohsin Khan's legendary spell for LSG
Earlier in the game, Mohsin Khan produced a memorable performance in the powerplay. The left-arm pacer produced a brilliant pace and variations to trouble Kolkata Knight Riders. He dismissed Seifert in the second over to give LSG an early breakthrough and then ran a riot at Ekana's slow wicket.
Mohsin took big wickets of Ajinkya Rahane, Cameron Green, Rovman Powell and Anukul Roy to finish with 5 for 23 in four overs, the best figures by an Indian bowler for LSG in IPL history. However, it proved a losing cause, a big disappointment for the bowler, who has now taken nine wickets in just four innings this season.
LSG's batting woes continued against Kolkata Knight Riders
Another game and another opening pair followed. Aiden Markram returned to the top to open an innings with struggling Mitchell Marsh. A move didn't work as Marsh fell to Viabhav Arora in the second over.
Markram and Rishabh Pant then added 57 runs for the second wicket to keep LSG on a track for a comfortable win. It looked like an easy chase for the hosts, but Rishabh threw his wicket in the 13th over while attempting a reverse scoop, and then the collapse followed.
Nicholas Pooran's disastrous season continued with another single-digit score. In-form Ayush Badoni showed some intent by smashing 24 runs, but Mukul Choudhary failed to finish again. Himmat Singh then scored 19 off 10 balls to the game to the wire, and then Mohammed Shami smashed Kartik Tyagi for a six on the last ball of the innings to the first-ever Super Over in IPL 2026.
Rishabh Pant's questionable captaincy cost LSG
Rishabh Pant sent Nicholas Pooran to open an innings in the super over ahead of Ayush Badoni and Mitchell Marsh. The decision backfired as he was bowled out on the very first delivery. Pant sending the Caribbean star to open, despite the latter's poor form and record, proved a turning point.
Earlier, Pant promoted Pooran ahead of Badoni, who was scoring regular runs in the No. 4 position. Pant also utilized Mohsin Khan's quota in the first ten overs and was forced to turn to Digvesh Rathi in the final over, who conceded four consecutive sixes.
Pant's questionable decisions and his struggles with the bat are costing LSG big time, who now need a miracle to save their remaining IPL 2026 campaign. Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, displayed a great team spirit defending the low-score total and win back-to-back matches for the first time this season.
Also read: LSG vs KKR Highlights
