LSG pull off last-ball heist

Lucknow Super Giants looked finished at 128 for 7 in a chase of 182 at Eden Gardens, and then 21-year-old Mukul Choudhary turned his third Indian Premier League match into a heist with 54 not out from 27 balls to win it off the last ball. The chase ended at 182 for 7, and Kolkata Knight Riders stayed winless. (espncricinfo.com) Choudhary did not just hang around for the finish. He hit seven sixes, added 54 runs for the eighth wicket with Avesh Khan, and that stand became the highest eighth-wicket partnership in a successful Indian Premier League chase. (iplt20.com) Before that burst, Kolkata had done enough to think they had the game boxed. Ajinkya Rahane made 41 from 24 balls, Angkrish Raghuvanshi made 45 from 33, and Kolkata posted 181 for 4 after Lucknow chose to bowl first. (cricbuzz.com) The shape of the chase explains why this felt bigger than one result. Lucknow had already needed the final ball to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 5, and now they have won two tight finishes in four days instead of splitting them. (espncricinfo.com) That swing showed up immediately in the table. After three matches, Lucknow moved to fifth with 4 points and a net run rate of minus 0.359, while Kolkata dropped to ninth with 1 point from four matches and a net run rate of minus 1.315. (espncricinfo.com) The gap looks small in points and large in mood. Lucknow have now won back-to-back matches after opening with a loss to Delhi Capitals on April 1, while Kolkata have no wins after losses to Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Lucknow, plus one no-result against Punjab Kings. (espncricinfo.com) Early Indian Premier League tables can flip fast because most teams have only played two, three, or four matches. Rajasthan Royals lead with 6 points from 3 games, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have 4 points from 2 games, and Lucknow’s two wins were enough to jump into the top half even with a negative net run rate. (espncricinfo.com) For Kolkata, the problem is not one collapse on one night. They have conceded 632 runs in 59.1 overs across four matches, and that minus 1.315 net run rate means even a first win would not clean up the damage quickly. (espncricinfo.com) For Lucknow, one uncapped finisher changed both the match and the season’s early map. A team that was sitting near the bottom after Match 5 is now in fifth after Match 15, and Kolkata’s search for a first win just got more urgent. (iplt20.com)