IPL 2023: Rinku’s Heroics in Vain, as Lucknow Trump Kolkata En Route to Playoffs

IPL 2023: Lucknow Super Giants became the third team to confirm their participation in the playoffs.

IPL 2023: Lucknow Super Giants defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 1 run.

(Photo: BCCI)

Rinku Singh’s heroics went in vain, as Kolkata Knight Riders suffered an agonising defeat by the narrowest of margins – a solitary run – against Lucknow Super Giants in match 68 of IPL 2023. Chasing a target of 177 runs, the hosts posted 175/7 at the Eden Gardens.

The Knights needed to chase the total down in 8.5 overs to remain alive in the playoffs race, and whilst that particular task seemed impossible, they did get off to a good start. Promoted as an opener, Venkatesh Iyer struck a couple of boundaries, alongside a 73-metre six, to set the tone for his team.

At the other end, Jason Roy followed suit with exactly the same outcome off Naveen-ul-Haq’s bowling, as the pair breached the 50-run mark in only the fifth over. The tides, however, turned in Lucknow’s favour when Krishnappa Gowtham dismissed Iyer in the sixth over.

With the fielding restrictions relaxed, KKR’s skipper, Nitish Rana struggled to get going before losing his wicket with only eight runs to his name, while in the next over, his opposition counterpart shone bright, as Krunal Pandya dismissed Roy.

IPL 2023: Krishnappa Gowtham broke Kolkata Knight Riders' menacing first-wicket partnership.

(Photo: BCCI)

Batting in a new position, Rahmanullah Gurbaz could not be of much help, scoring a paltry 10 off 15 deliveries, whilst Andre Russell, Shardul Thakur and Sunil Narine combined to score just 11 runs.

Requiring 41 runs in 12 deliveries, it seemed Kolkata were well and truly out of the reckoning, until yet again, Rinku proved that he is a force to be reckoned with. The southpaw scored an unbeaten 67 runs from 33 deliveries, which included six boundaries and four maximums, but it ultimately did not result in a couple of points, as Lucknow booked their place in the playoffs.

Nicholas Pooran’s Half-Century Proves To Be the Differentiator

Earlier, the visitors’ batting department did fairly well to score 176/8. After the punt with Deepak Hooda as an opener did not pay dividends in the last match, Quinton de Kock had a new opening partner in Karan Sharma.

However, there were no significant changes in the outcome, with the batter scoring just three runs before losing his wicket to Harshit Rana, in the third over. The wicket did not result in a dip in the scoring rate, with Prerak Mankad, who struck a delightful half-century against Sunrisers Hyderabad, coming up trumps.

The next three overs yielded 39 runs, with both de Kock and Mankad taking the attack to the bowlers. They had made their intent clear, but Lucknow were forced into a rearguard stance when Vaibhav Arora brought the Knights back into the game.

The speedster dismissed both Mankad, and then, an in-form Marcus Stoinis, in the same over. Skipper Pandya could not lead his team by example with the bat, as he became Sunil Narine’s victim after scoring only eight runs, with Varun Chakaravarthy calling curtains to de Kock’s resilience in the next over.

IPL 2023: Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni were involved in a match-winning 74-run partnership.

(Photo: BCCI)

At 73/5, it seemed that the Knights might be eyeing an all out, but Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni not only scuppered the hosts’ ambitions, but also turned the game on its head. The pair were involved in a 74-run partnership, as Pooran struck his second half-century of the season.

Although both were dismissed in the penultimate over, with Shardul Thakur adding a couple of scalps to his tally, Gowtham’s cameo of a four-ball 11 took Lucknow to a total of 176 runs.