Rinku Singh rescues KKR once again as LSG hit rock bottom after a Super Over thriller

Results in brief: Kolkata Knight Riders (155/7) beat Lucknow Super Giants (155/8 in 20 overs) in a Super Over at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.

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Let’s be brutally honest, Kolkata Knight Riders still wouldn’t have won IPL 2026 if Rinku Singh wasn’t there. Let’s face it, KKR would have lost both their matches against Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants had Rinku not been there. After his heroics against the Royals, Rinku again came to the rescue to help the Knight Riders beat the Super Giants in the first Super Over of IPL 2026 in Lucknow on Sunday.

With 17 needed off the last end of LSG’s chase, it looked like the home side would again pull victory from the clutches of defeat, just as they did at the Eden Gardens, especially as Kartik Tyagi looked jittery at the crunch time. But Rinku had other ideas.

In the stipulated 40 overs, Rinku scored an unbeaten 83 off 51 balls and took four catches. As if that was not enough, he produced an incredible bounce catch in the Super Over as KKR had the last laugh. It was only fitting that he also hit the winning runs in the eliminator by one.

There’s no denying that if Rinku wasn’t there, KKR would still be struggling at the bottom of the table, staring at an early exit and needing more than a miracle to make it to the playoffs.

For Super Giants, Mohsin Khan took five wickets, his first such haul in the IPL, but it ended up being a loss. The team’s problems continue to escalate as they have now lost five games on the trot and slipped to the bottom of the table. Rishabh Pant’s men have a lot of introspection ahead of them as the pressure continues to mount.

MOHSIN KHAN wreaks havoc

After being asked to bat first, KKR were clueless against Mohsin Khan at the start, especially in the first half. Mohsin rocked the Knight Riders and reduced them to 73 for six in 11 overs. To begin with, Ajinkya Rahane smashed Mohammed Shami for a six over mid-wicket, but otherwise had very little idea of how to break through the gaps and keep the scoreboard moving.

As Rahane took his time, the pressure mounted on Tim Seifert, who registered back-to-back ducks. Mohsin ensured that LSG took the upper hand right from the start. Things have gone from bad to worse for the Knight Riders Angkrish Raghuvanshi was given away and interfered on the fieldinfuriated the KKR camp. Reduced to 31 for three in the powerplay, KKR looked at sea.

Rovman Powell also fell cheaply leaving KKR in all sorts of trouble. Cameron Green and Rinku Singh then began rebuilding the innings with 42 runs for the fourth wicket, but Mohsin again halted their progress. Green was bringing KKR back into the game with a 34-run knock before Mohsin removed him.

Mohsin didn’t stop there and dismissed Anukul Roy to claim his maiden five-wicket haul, finishing with figures of 4-1-23-5 to put the Super Giants firmly on top. At that point, it looked like Knight Riders might even get the ball under 100, but they still had someone called Rinku Singh at the crease.

RINK RESCUE KOLKATA

With the Knight Riders struggling to even play their full quota of 20 overs, Rinku raised his hands. As wickets were bleeding at the other end, he respected the situation and absorbed the pressure. The left-hander went around the run-a-ball for most of his innings, scoring 43 runs from his first 40 deliveries.

But once he got to the measure of LSG’s bowlers, he shifted into gear. From the danger of not even reaching a competitive total, KKR recovered to post a respectable 155 for seven. They plundered 43 runs in the last two overs as Rinku took Shami and Digvesh Rathi to the cleaners.

He started by removing Shami, smashing a massive six over sweeper cover and followed it up with two more fours. In the final, Rinku unleashed a brutal attack on Digvesh Rathi, hitting him four times in a row. With the way he was batting, it seemed that Rinku had something to prove.

The Super Giants made a tactical error by handing over the 20th over to the spinner, which proved costly as Rathi conceded 26 runs in the over.

KARTIK IN THE LAST COVER

With Lucknow offering a tougher scoring surface compared to other venues, the Knight Riders were very much in the game. KKR got off to a great start as Vaibhav Arora dismissed Mitchell Marsh thanks to a stunning catch by Rovman Powell.

Then Aiden Markram (31) and Rishabh Pant (42) leveled the innings for the Super Giants with 57 runs for the second wicket, although the required run rate had climbed to around nine by then.

But both the batsmen departed in quick succession as the Knight Riders began to tighten the screws on the Super Giants. Nicholas Pooran’s poor form continued and Varun Chakravarthy was responsible for his wicket. Ayush Badoni made 24, but as the required run rate climbed to 12 with about four overs remaining, KKR looked firm favourites.

Mukul Chaudhary, who played the winning stroke in Edenfell to single digits as well. However, Impact Sub Himmat Singh and Mohammed Shami kept their cool. In the final over, Himmat was dismissed after scoring 19, but with seven needed off the last ball, Shami crushed Tyagi for a six down the ground to force a Super Over.

Tyagi also appeared under immense pressure and bowled two full tosses in the waist. The Knight Riders had the option of turning to Green, who bowled two overs for 12 runs and took a wicket, but instead opted for Tyagi, which almost cost them the decision.

More to follow…

– The end

Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

Apr 27, 2026 0:03 AM IST