In Tuesday’s IPL match, the Lucknow Super Giants went head-to-head with the Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata. It was a memorable game, not just because of the strong competition but also due to a standout moment from Shardul Thakur, who bowled an 11-ball over that tied the record for the longest over in IPL history. It began with Thakur throwing five wide balls in a row, which left KKR’s captain, Rishabh Pant, looking really confused. The idea behind bringing Thakur in was to tackle the threat from KKR’s Ajinkya Rahane, who was playing exceptionally well and had already racked up a nice fifty.
The situation got a little better for Lucknow when Thakur managed to take Rahane’s wicket on the last ball of that over. Rahane, unfortunately, mistimed a full toss right into Pooran’s hands at short cover, leading to an early exit. For the match, Thakur ended up with figures of 2 for 52 over four overs, also getting Andre Russell out.
The beginning of the innings was solid for Kolkata, primarily led by Rahane and Narine, who helped the team get to a strong 90-1 during the powerplay. Narine was particularly impressive with his quick-fire 30 runs off just 13 balls, taking advantage of Lucknow’s uneven pace bowling.
But then things took a turn. A 71-run partnership between Rahane and Iyer was suddenly interrupted when Lucknow took out four batsmen in a short time, and you could feel the shift in momentum. Thakur started the 13th over with those five wide balls again, adding to the tension. But then the bowler found his stride again by dismissing Rahane, who was caught at cover while trying to hit a full toss.
Lucknow’s efforts to regain control were evident as they quickly took advantage of the situation when Akash Deep dismissed Shreyas Iyer for 45 in the 16th over. This sparked a quick collapse for Kolkata, with three wickets falling in just nine balls. Thakur managed to keep the pressure on by bowling Russell out with another full toss during his final over.
As Kolkata struggled to keep up, Rinku Singh tried to step up, but his solid effort of 38 runs off 15 balls just wasn’t enough to clinch the win. On the flip side, Lucknow’s Markram and Marsh made an impressive start against Kolkata, forming a 99-run opening partnership in just 62 balls. This strong performance helped set the stage for a victory for Sunrisers Hyderabad, further buoyed by Pooran’s aggressive batting.
Harshit Rana eventually bowled Markram out with a straight ball that hit the stumps. Marsh was on fire with his batting, hitting eleven sixes and fours, while Pooran added a swift 71 runs off just 30 balls before getting caught. His quick 50 runs from only 21 balls, which included eight fours and several sixes, kept him at the top of the IPL batting rankings.
In the end, Lucknow secured their third win of the season, while Kolkata faced their third loss. It’s also worth noting that this match was originally set for Sunday, but it got pushed back due to local religious festivities at the request of the Kolkata police.
