Lucknow Super Giants secured a thrilling four-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in Match 21 of IPL 2025 at Eden Gardens. LSG successfully defended their total of 238/3, the second-highest first-innings score in their IPL history. Despite a valiant effort from Ajinkya Rahane, KKR fell short in the chase. After being invited to bat first in Kolkata’s heat, LSG made a strong start. Mitchell Marsh led the charge with a blistering 81 off 48 balls. Aiden Markram provided steady support before falling just short of the 100-run mark. Nicholas Pooran took over from there, smashing an unbeaten 87 off 36 balls. His innings, which included seven fours and eight sixes, propelled LSG to a massive total. KKR’s Harshit Rana was the only bowler to find some success, taking two wickets.
KKR began their chase with an aggressive approach. Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine added 37 runs for the first wicket. Rahane then took charge, playing a sensational knock. He partnered with Narine and later Shreyas Iyer to push KKR towards victory. However, despite Rinku Singh’s late efforts, LSG held on to win.
Ravi Bishnoi defended 24 runs in the final over, ensuring LSG’s narrow victory.
Records and Milestones
LSG’s Second-Highest Total: Their 238/3 is only behind their 257/5 against Punjab Kings in IPL 2023. It is also the second-highest total ever against KKR in IPL history.
Most Sixes for LSG: The team smashed 15 sixes in this innings, their second-highest in IPL history.
Marsh’s Explosive Form: The Australian all-rounder continued his fine form with his fourth fifty-plus score of IPL 2025.
Pooran’s IPL Milestone: Pooran crossed 2,000 IPL runs in just 1,198 balls, becoming the second-fastest to the milestone after Andre Russell.
KKR’s Powerplay Blitz: KKR reached 90/1 in the first six overs, their highest powerplay score in IPL history.
Playing XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders: Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Lucknow Super Giants: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (captain and wicketkeeper), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh Rathi.