Lucknow Super Giants 182 for 7 (Choudhary 54*, Badoni 54, Roy 2-32, Arora 2-38) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 181 for 4 (Raghuvanshi 45, Rahane 41, Powell 39*, Green 32*, Rathi 1-25) by three wickets
In the lead-up to IPL 2026, Lucknow Super Giants coach Justin Langer believed that rookie Mukul Choudhary had the potential to become the "scariest" finisher in India. The 21-year-old showcased his potential and power in only his third IPL game, bashing a 25-ball half-century, which snatched victory for LSG from Kolkata Knight Riders' grasp.
When Choudhary came into bat, LSG were 104 for 5 in the 13th over in pursuit of 182. Choudhary watched them slump further to 125 for 6 and then 128 for 7. He was on 2 off eight balls at one point. But with LSG needing 54 off 24 balls, he single-handedly won it for them. Only one other batter - Kieron Pollard in 2013 - has scored more than 50 runs in the last four overs of a successful IPL chase.
It was anybody's game when LSG required 14 off the final over, with three wickets in hand. After Avesh Khan got a single off the first ball, Choudhary monstered Vaibhav Arora over square leg for six. Arora then responded with two dots, but a barely believable six off the next ball - a near wide yorker - brought the equation to one off one.
Choudhary swung and missed the slower bouncer, but he scampered across for a bye and completed a stunning turnaround for LSG. A new star was born in the IPL.
Choudhary's finishing act
At the halfway stage of the game, Rovman Powell said this wasn't a typical Eden Gardens pitch. As the game wore on, the deliveries dug into the surface, and especially the slower ones were difficult to put away. Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran and Rishabh Pant were all done in by steepling bounce.
Arora had bounced out Markram and Marsh with the new ball, but when he tried something similar against Choudhary with the older one, Choudhary muscled him over square leg. When Arora tried to york him next ball, Choudhary helicoptered the seamer over long-on. Of the seven sixes Choudhary hit in 27 balls, this was the pick of the lot. "MS Dhoni, eat your heart out! The helicopter shot is back," Faf du Plessis raved on commentary.
But still KKR were favourites with 42 to defend off 18 balls. Until Choudhary intervened again. He tonked Kartik Tyagi for a brace of sixes and reduced the equation to 30 off 12.
Cameron Green, who had earlier bested Pant with a slower bouncer, bowled that variation to Choudhary and drew a mis-hit, but it fell in no-man's land. Choudhary missed another slower bouncer next ball, but struck back to hit Green for 6, 0, 4, 6.
Choudhary then whacked another slower short ball from Arora for six in the final over. Arora responded by switching his angle to around the wicket and nailed two wide yorkers. He marginally missed his mark the next ball, and Choudhary scythed it flat and hard over cover with his fast hands. Then came the bye and the game was over.
The LSG batter thumped 54* off 27 balls for a come-from-behind win against KKR
Badoni sets it up
Earlier Ayush Badoni had laid the platform from which Choudhary launched for LSG with a very different innings of 54. Coming in at No. 4, Badoni helped LSG overcome an early wobble with his measured approach. He was particularly circumspect against Sunil Narine, who had recovered from an illness that had put him out of KKR's previous game, scoring only eight off ten balls from him. In all, Narine conceded just 13 runs in his four overs for the wicket of Mohammed Shami.
Badoni found runs from elsewhere. He took 26 off 12 balls from Tyagi and Navdeep Saini, the weaker links in the KKR attack. He brought up his half-century, off 33 balls, when he carted left-arm spinner Anukul Roy over midwicket for six. Next ball, however, Roy hid the ball away from Badoni's reach and had him holing out to wide long-off.
Rahane, Raghuvanshi start well
Prince Yadav had struck in his first over when he had Finn Allen caught at deep third by Digvesh Rathi in controversial circumstances. After a few replays, Allen was given out for 9 off 8, but later another replay suggested that Rathi's foot was touching the boundary when he was holding the ball with both hands.
Dale Steyn and Aaron Finch on KKR's batting performance against LSG
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who was promoted to No. 3 ahead of Green, then countered the early blow with an 84-run partnership off 52 balls. Rahane manufactured swinging room and pumped both Rathi and M Siddharth for fours over cover.
Raghuvanshi was slow to start: he was on 6 off 12 balls at one point, but shifted gears when he lined up Avesh Khan for 4, 6, 4 in the last over of the powerplay.
LSG's spinners Rathi and Siddharth then loosened KKR's grip on the game by taking out Rahane and Raghuvanshi in successive overs.
Powell power
Green needed 14 balls to find the boundary and in all managed only three fours and a six in the 24 balls he faced. Rovman Powell, who retained his place in KKR's XI, was more fluent, finishing with an unbeaten 39 off 24 balls.
KKR went 31 balls without a boundary until Powell charged at Siddharth and cracked him over his head for six. Then, when Prince missed his yorker, his drilled drive down the ground left both the bowler and the umpire in the firing line.
KKR were firm favourites - they had an 86% chance of beating LSG after 36 overs in the game - but Choudhary flipped the script and overpowered the hosts.
