Touted to be more suitable for the slower bowlers and with the ball likely to grip, it turned out to be different. It was the third week of the Indian Premier League 2025, and we were back to witnessing a bat versus bat contest, with bowlers from both sides left stranded.
It was Lucknow Super Giants, who came out on top, beating Kolkata Knight Riders by four runs in a high-scoring match. Batters from either camp were capitalising on the favourable conditions and the shorter leg-side boundary on one side.
Despite being the away side, it was almost a home game for LSG, who are headquartered in Kolkata. They eased into the contest after being asked to bat first. Rishabh Pant and Co. came out all guns blazing, racing to 72 without loss in the Powerplay, despite three of those overs going for just 11 runs. Mitchell Marsh, who was a little slow to get going, played the anchor’s role, while his opening partner Aiden Markram went ballistic at the other end.
The duo stitched together a 99-run stand for the first wicket. Markram, striking at 167.85, was the first to depart after misreading a slower off-cutter from Harshit Rana, who uprooted his stumps. Marsh carried on with the assault, now joined by Nicholas Pooran.
The Australian brought up his fourth fifty of the season in just 36 balls, dismantling the KKR attack before Andre Russell finally brought his innings to an end. On just the second delivery from the West Indian, Marsh attempted a cut but failed to connect cleanly. Rinku Singh at deep point completed the catch. By then, Marsh and Pooran had added 71 runs in just 30 balls.
Pooran, meanwhile, tore into his compatriot Sunil Narine. The Trinidadian, who seems to mentally archive every six he hits, added eight more to the collection as he smashed a 21-ball half-century. Sparing no bowler, he powered LSG past the 200 mark by the 18th over. It was a day to forget for KKR’s bowling unit as LSG posted 238 for the loss of just three wickets. Pooran remained unbeaten on 87 off 36 balls, finishing with a jaw-dropping strike rate of 241.66.
The southpaw, who used to struggle against deliveries outside the off stump, seems to have found a solution since last season. His average rose from 27.36 across the 2022 and 2023 seasons to 64 in 2024. KKR’s bowlers tried a similar strategy, sending over half the deliveries bowled at him wide outside off. Still, Pooran managed to score 32 off those balls at a strike rate of 168.
Later, KKR too came out pumped up to chase the mammoth target. Despite losing the early wicket of Quinton de Kock, the KKR batters made a mockery of the bowling. Captain Ajinkya Rahane led from the front, powering his side to their second-highest Powerplay total — 90 for the loss of one. With the LSG bowlers being taken to the cleaners at 12 runs per over, one of the finds of IPL 2025, Digvesh Rathi, dismissed his idol Narine. He attempted to hit a googly pitching outside off but could only find the hands of the fielder at long-off.
Rahane, however, continued the onslaught, racing to his half-century in just 26 balls. The captain, along with his deputy Venkatesh Iyer, kept the tempo high. After six more overs, KKR stood at 149 for 2, needing 90 off 48 balls. But Rahane holed out to extra cover five balls later — excluding the five wide balls bowled by Shardul Thakur before the first official ball of the over—offering LSG a much-needed opening.
And the momentum shifted quickly. In the very next over, Ravi Bishnoi dismissed Ramandeep Singh, who hit it straight to long-off. KKR’s chase suddenly began to falter. Iyer perished after a blistering 45 off 29 balls. From 162 for 2, KKR stumbled to 185 for 7 in the span of just 20 balls.
With the target still within reach, Rinku Singh tried to apply the finishing touches, but 24 were required off the final over. Harshit Rana found himself on strike, and LSG ensured he stayed there for most of the over. Rinku could only manage 14 off the final three deliveries, doing little more than helping his side’s net run rate.