KKR vs LSG highlights, IPL 2023: Lucknow edges past Kolkata by one run, makes it Playoffs

LSG is into the Playoffs. It took the hard way, but got there any way. Rinku Singh threatened to derail its chances, but eventually sneaked through by just a run, only the 12th time it has happened in the competition.

KKR’s stop-start season comes to an end, but Rinku’s knock will give it hope for the coming seasons.

Vaibhav does his job. Takes a single to bring Rinku on strike. Yash goes for the wideline, but gives away a wide. Yash responds with a bouncer, which evades Rinku. Low full toss from Yash and Rinku can’t get it away. But Rinku doesn’t go for a double. Yash gives away another wide. Bringing it down to 18 from three. Yash goes full and straight. Rinku slams it over mid on for another six. Is it happening again?? Full on the off and Rinku creams it through covers for a four. Eight needed of the last over. Last ball. Full toss and Rinku crashes it. Flies narrowly over long on. LSG wins by one run. PHEW!!!

Rinku up against Naveen for the penultimate. Manages a streaky edged four first ball. Jumps down the track next to crash one through covers for another four. Naveen goes short and Rinku manufactures a shot over third man for another boundary. ANOTHER RINKU SINGH HEIST LOADING? Sneaks in a double to keep strike. Two balls left. Naveen puts one in the slot and Rinku thunders it to the stands. RINKU GETS TO HIS FIFTY!!! Unfortunately for Rinku can’t take a single to keep strike for the last over.

Yash Thakur starts from around the wicket. Pins one into Shardul’s pads. Yash demands a review and gets one. The ball had pitched outside leg and the review is wasted. Rinku on strike and Yash offers him a half tracker. Rinku duly whacks it away for a massive six. Wide yorker next up. Just a single from it. Yash attacks Shardul with a bouncer and he can only plonk it to deep square leg. Sixth wicket down for KKR. KKR attempts a risky double last ball and Narine is short. He has to walk back.

KKR needs 56 runs in the last four. Naveen with the 17th. Starts with a dot ball against Shardul Thakur. Three singles follow as LSG tightens the screw. Another dot ball. Slow bouncer evades Rinku’s blade. Two runs of the last ball.

Bishnoi with his last. Beats Russell all ends up first two balls. Finally, Russell gets hold of one, launching it past long off for a six. Bishnoi gets his man eventually. Russell swings at it wildly and Bishnoi sneaks it past the bat The leg stump comes down crashing. Is that the chase for KKR? Shardul Thakur is the new batter for KKR.

Naveen is back in action. Rinku slices one to the offside for a single. Russell attemps to go big straight away, but can’t make contact for the first two balls. He does on the third attempt, but can only get a single. Last ball, Naveen offers Rinku some width and the leftie smashes it through the offside for a welcome boundary.

Yash Thakur is in as the impact player. He gets his first over of the day. Gurbaz and Rinku sneak in an overthrow following an LSG misfield. Badoni pulls out a full-length dive to save a boundary at deep fine leg. Gurbaz goes for a big one. It is a top edge and Bishnoi completes the catch, after fumbling it once. Russell is the new batter.

LSG continues with spin. Bishnoi into his third over. Pushes on into Rinku’s arch and he thumpsit straight back for a four. Bishnoi holds it back for the rest of the over. Nine runs of the over.

Gowtham’s last over. Rinku starts with a couple before taking a single to bring in Gurbaz on strike. A wide follows, before Gurbaz takes a single. Gowtham raps Rinku on the pads, before appealing, alone, for an lbw unsuccesfully.

Bishnoi continues. KKR’s chase has slowed down significantly. KKR manages just six singles from the Bishnoi over as the required run rate continues to climb.

Krunal with his last over. He keeps the pressire on with some dot balls before pushing a skidder through Jason Roy’s defence. Another impressive over from the LSG skipper as the away side comes storming back into the game.

Ravi Bishnoi into the attack. Pitches one on good length and it spins away wildly. Nitish Rana pokes at it aimlessly and it is a top edge. Easy catch for Krunal Pandya. LSG clawing its way back into the game. Gurbaz is the new batter. He plays out Bishnoi, with just a single from the last ball.

LSG continues on with its two-pronged spin attack. Gowtham starts by giving a single to Rana, who has slowed things down for KKR since his arrival. Last ball, Gowtham goes full and Roy sweeps it fiercely to the fence.

Krunal Pandya persists with his left-arm spin. Just three runs off the first four balls. Krunal drifts down the leg side and Nitish Rana touches it on for a four.

Gowtham gets his second over. Two dot balls of the first four ball. Fifth ball, Gowtham pitches one on good length in the off stump. It stops on the pitch a fraction longer and Venkatesh can only chip it to short mid wicket.

Krunal Pandya continues. Roy goes after him straight away. Three fours to start the over with. First one with a sweep shot, second an off-drive and the last an edge past third man. 14 runs of the over.

Gowtham introduced. Goes full and Venkatesh sweeps and it goes flying to the fence. Venkatesh attempts another sweep, but can’t get bat on ball. He has injured his back in the process. He gets some medical attention, but is soon back in action.

Krunal Pandya brings himself on. Goes straight and Roy sweeps it past square leg for another four. Krunal tightens up his length, not letting either openers get under the ball.

Naveen-ul-haq from the other end for LSG. Roy too gets into the act. Steps forward before pumping it to mid-wicket fence for a four. Naveen over-pitches and Roy drills it straight back. 81 metre SIX!! There is more to it. Roy slashes at it and it goes flying through cover for another four.

KKR needs to wrap up this chase as fast as possible to stand a chance to progress this tournament. Mohsin starts for LSG. Jason Roy swings and misses first ball. Single second ball bring Venkatesh Iyer on strike, who cuts the first ball he faces for a four. Mohsin goes back of a length and Venkatesh dances forward to smack it for a six. This is the start KKR needed.

Russell with the last over. Naveen takes a single to bring Gowtham on strike. Russell goes short and Gowtham swings at it succeeds in getting a good enough contact. SIXX!!! LSG ends with 176.

Shardul Thakur back in and he starts with a low full toss. Slashed away by Pooran for a six. Shardul pulls the length back, but Pooran still manages to sneak it away for a six. But once again, the bowler gets his revenge. Pooran edges a wide one and it is a catch at deep third. Big wicket for KKR. Bishnoi is the new batter. He attempts to slog it straight away and the ball clips the off stump on the way. Eighth wicket down for LSG.

Sunil Narine with his last over. Pooran dabs one to fine leg for a single to start the over. A wide and a couple of singles follow. Badoni breaks the shackle with a lofted hit to the mid wicker fence. Too full from Narine. Badoni goes bigger and better then next ball. This time a six over long on. But Narine has the last laugh. Goes wide and Badoni has to stretch to get there. The contact isn’t clean and it is a catch at long on.

The impressive Vaibhav Arora returns for his last over. He continues his short ball ploy, with success against Badoni. Against Pooran, Vaibhav decided to push the ball as close to the wide line on the off. Pooran edges one to the fence, but otherwise has a quiet over.

Varun Chakravarthuy with his last over. Gets in a couple of dot balls to start the over. Badoni takes a single to bring Pooran on strike. Pooran attempts a sweep shot, but can’t get it past fine leg. Brilliant over from Varun, just three runs from it.

Suyash Sharma’s leg spin up against Pooran. First ball, in the arc and slammed away by Pooran. It was a googly and was drifting away from Pooran, but it doesn’t matter. Six over mid wicket. Suyash recalibrates. Gives away just two runs next four ball. Last ball of the over, Suyash goes short and Pooran pulls it to the fence for another boundary.

Narine too continues. He too keeps the dot balls coming for KKR. The pressure is building on Badoni and Pooran. Last ball, Narine goes short and Pooran puts it away for a four. That sort of makes that a respectable over for LSG.

Varun Chakravarthy continues. He goes full and Pooran smokes it over long on for a six. That should relieve some pressure for LSG. Varun responds with shifting to a goo lenght. Just three runs from the rest over. 100 up from LSG.

Suyash Sharma comes in for Harshit Rana as an impact sub. Narine continues from the other end. Pooran plays it on deep mid-wicket for a single after playing out a dot. Narine keeps it tight as he only concedes three singles off his over.

Chakaravarthy to de Kock, OUT! Another mistimed slog-sweep and Russell takes a skier in the deep. A massive, massive blow for LSG. Nicholas Pooran is the new man and immediately concedes an outside-edge past first-slip for four. Short from Varun and Pooran slams the ball behind point for four more. In the slot and Pooran smokes it over long-off for a massive six. What a start for the left-hander.

Narine replaces Rana. Narine to Krunal, OUT. Short ball and Krunal slog-sweeps it to the deep mid-wicket fielder.

Shardul Thakur into the attack. Slower ball on length and Krunal waits on the ball and pumps it over long-off for six. Shardul follows up with a no ball outside the tram line. A couple of singles to follow.

Nitish Rana brings himself on, to counter the left-handers of LSG. Neither Krunal, nor QDK can go after Rana. Just three runs from the over. Flat and accurate from the KKR skipper.

Vaibhav Arora gets his third over. Goes short on the off and Makad heaves at it and top edges it. Harshit makes good ground to get under it. It is a safe catch and LSG is two wickets down. Stoinis is the new batter and he is welcomed by a nasty lifter. It kisses his gloves and Venkatesh Iyer has an easy catch. A dream over for Vaibhav.

Spin for KKR. Varun Chakravarthy with his mystery spin. Goes short and Mankad lifts it over the deep mid wicket for a four. Varun responds with a loopy delivery and it evades both the keeper and the batter. And it is a bye four.

Nitish persists with Harshit. Mankad starts with a driven four on the off side. Harshit responds with a sharp bouncer, which takes Mankad by surprise. He responds by making room on the offside, before pummelling it through covers. Mankad gathers one more, this time over mid off.

Vaibhav Arora continues for KKR. Mankad gets a double with a half-hearted pull shot. Third ball of the over, Vaibhav oversteps and gives away a freehit. Thankfully Mankad can’t take advantage of it. But QDK gets a big one, last ball. In the arc and slammed away to the leg side.

Harshit continues. QDK strides to the offside, before launching it over mid wicket for a six. That was a tad full from Harshit. He corrects the lenght and QDK slices it away for a single. Harshit directs a bouncer into Karan’s body and the opener can only edge it to short mid wicket. First wicket for KKR. Prerak Mankad is the new batter for LSG. Harshit extracts a few dot balls from the new batter.

Vaibhav Arora with the second over. Karan takes a single first ball. QDK cracks one through the off-side for a couple. Arora induced edge from QDK, but it flies past the slip cordon. Arora is drawing in considerable pace and movement from the pitch.

Harshit Rana with the new ball for KKR. De Kock and Karan Sharma open the innings for LSG. Harshit Hits the good length to start with. A hint of swing for the pacer. Angles it across QDK for five consecutive dot balls. Good start for the youngster.

Lucknow Super Giants: Quinton de Kock(w), Karan Sharma, Prerak Mankad, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Krunal Pandya(c), Ayush Badoni, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mohsin Khan

Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Jason Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana(c), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy

Nitish Rana wins the toss and has chosen to bowl first against Lucknow Super Giants.

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Lucknow Super Giants: Quinton de Kock(w), Deepak Hooda, Prerak Mankad, Krunal Pandya(c), Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Naveen-ul-Haq, Ravi Bishnoi, Swapnil Singh, Mohsin Khan, Kyle Mayers, Yash Thakur, Krishnappa Gowtham, Daniel Sams, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Amit Mishra, Karun Nair, Manan Vohra, Mark Wood, Avesh Khan, Romario Shepherd, Arpit Guleria, Suryansh Shedge, Karan Sharma

Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana(c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jason Roy, Anukul Roy, N Jagadeesan, Lockie Ferguson, Kulwant Khejroliya, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Mandeep Singh, Johnson Charles, David Wiese, Aarya Desai

Wicketkeeper: Nicholas Pooran

Batters: Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh (vc), Kyle Mayers

All-rounders: Andre Russell, Marcus Stoinis (c), Krunal Pandya, Sunil Narine

Bowlers: Varun Chakaravarthy, Naveen-ul-Haq, Yash Thakur

Team Composition: KKR 5:6 LSG Credits Left: 11.5

Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted XI

KKR Predicted XI (batting first): Jason Roy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy,

KKR predicted XI (bowling first): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Suyash Sharma/Anukul Roy

KKR Impact Player options: Suyash Sharma, Jason Roy, Anukul Roy, David Wiese, Mandeep Singh

Lucknow Super Giants Predicted XI

LSG Predicted XI (batting first): Quinton de Kock (w), Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Prerak Mankad, Krunal Pandya (c), Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Naveen-ul-Haq, Ravi Bishnoi, Swapnil Singh

LSG predicted XI (bowling first): Quinton de Kock (w), Kyle Mayers, Deepak Hooda, Prerak Mankad, Krunal Pandya (c), Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Naveen-ul-Haq, Ravi Bishnoi, Swapnil Singh, Mohsin Khan.

LSG Impact Player options: Amit Mishra, Ayush Badoni, Mohsin Khan, Daniel Sams, Romario Shepherd

Lucknow Super Giants has smartly decided to don its sister franchise Mohun Bagan’s colours in order to win its share of Eden Gardens’ loyalty in the crucial Indian Premier League match against Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata on Saturday.

LSG, on 15 points, needs a win to confirm its place in the playoffs and give itself a chance to finish second.

Other than seeking home comfort in an away match, the Krunal Pandya-led side will bank on the experience of Gautam Gambhir, who captained KKR to two titles, to outthink the host.