Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant said rest would help - this latest stumble came fast, another loss by the slimmest margin against Kolkata Knight Riders under IPL lights. A super over sealed it, pushing Lucknow down again, now five defeats back-to-back, six dropped in just eight matches. Sitting last feels heavy; there's no spark yet in this campaign. Rishabh Pant's team looked set at 93 for seven, yet everything shifted when Rinku Singh struck an explosive eighty-three not out.

Targeting 156, LSG stumbled once more, though hope flickered as Mohammed Shami launched a boundary off the final delivery to trigger a Super Over. Their journey dipped sharply then; just one run came in two balls during the decider, marking the weakest score ever seen in such a finish across IPL seasons.

A reality check for LSG and Rishabh Pant

Looking back at the rough patch, Pant said looking inward matters more than feeling pushed from outside. Responsibility should spread through the whole group, he noted, because leaning only on some isn’t fair or effective. Even though Pooran hadn’t scored much lately, they still picked him for the Super Over; trust in tough spots shapes decisions like that.

Also Read: Kolkata Knight Riders push Lucknow Super Giants to rock bottom in IPL 2026 after super over win

Rishabh Pant held on to hope that a pause midway might clear the players' minds. Though he saw little good right now, he still believed they’d come back tougher once together again.

Ajinkya Rahane, leading KKR, said knowing the Ekana Stadium well made a difference. That edge came from playing there before, during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Because of that experience, setting a strong score felt more doable. Momentum swung their way when Rinku stepped up near the end. His push forward changed how things looked on the field.

Ajinkya Rahane tipped his hat to the bowlers, especially Sunil Narine, calm when it counted, Kartik Tyagi holding firm through tight overs, Vaibhav Arora nailing key deliveries. Then came Rinku, rounding things off cleanly: four sharp grabs in the field, then striking the winning run when the Super Over unfolded.

It was Rinku who took hold of the game, explaining later that his method came down to basics - resetting once the top order fell, keeping the ball moving between wickets, then seizing any wayward pitch without rushing out. What mattered most was seeing it through to the final overs.