LSG wins by one run

Lucknow Super Giants chased 182 on the last ball at Eden Gardens on April 9, beating Kolkata Knight Riders by three wickets after finishing on 182 for 7. (cricbuzz.com) Kolkata Knight Riders made 181 for 4 after Ajinkya Rahane scored 41 off 24, Angkrish Raghuvanshi made 45 off 33, and Cameron Green and Rovman Powell added 66 runs in the last five overs. Powell finished 39 not out off 24 in his first game of the season, and Green was unbeaten on 32 off 24. (espncricinfo.com, iplt20.com) Lucknow Super Giants were 104 for 5 in the 13th over and then 128 for 7 before Mukul Choudhary, 21, hit 54 not out off 27 balls with seven sixes. He shared 54 runs for the eighth wicket with Avesh Khan, which the Indian Premier League match report called the highest eighth-wicket stand in a successful Indian Premier League chase. (iplt20.com, espncricinfo.com) Twenty-over cricket compresses a match into 120 legal balls per side, so one over at the start or one finish at the end can swing the result. This chase turned after Kolkata Knight Riders reduced Lucknow Super Giants from 56 for 0 to 104 for 5 and still could not close out the last four overs. (iplt20.com) The finish also underlined how middle-overs control and death-overs execution can pull in opposite directions in the same game. Lucknow Super Giants’ spinners helped hold Kolkata Knight Riders to 181 after 115 for 3 in 15 overs, but Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowlers could not defend 54 runs from the last 24 balls. (iplt20.com, espncricinfo.com) There were also two moments in Kolkata Knight Riders’ innings that drew scrutiny on the scorecard commentary. ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball feed said Finn Allen’s early dismissal looked close to the boundary cushion and noted there was “not an extensive check,” while Rahane’s catch was sent upstairs and upheld by the third umpire. (espncricinfo.com) For Lucknow Super Giants, the result came from a lower-order rescue after established hitters including Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran and Abdul Samad were out before the finish. For Kolkata Knight Riders, it was another missed closing job after having Lucknow Super Giants seven down with the target still 54 away. (iplt20.com) Mukul Choudhary was named player of the match, and his innings ended with Lucknow Super Giants exactly one run past the target and no balls left. In a format built on short margins, this one was decided by the smallest possible cushion short of a tie. (cricbuzz.com, espncricinfo.com)