In a pulsating IPL 2026 match at Eden Gardens, Kolkata Knight Riders rallied to 181 for 4 thanks to aggressive batting from Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi against Lucknow Super Giants. The duo’s partnership proved pivotal in setting a defendable score.
Pant called correctly at the toss and put KKR in to bat. The home side stumbled early, with opener Finn Allen managing only 9 off 8 deliveries, dismissed when the score was 15. Rahane then took charge alongside Raghuvanshi, adding 84 runs in 52 balls and rescuing the innings.
Rahane’s entertaining 41 came off 24 balls, featuring 4 boundaries and 2 maximums at a scorching 170 strike rate, though he missed out on a fifty. Raghuvanshi built on that momentum, scoring 45 off 33 at 136 SR before holing out to Markram off Siddarth.
A mini-collapse followed as Rinku Singh was clean bowled by Avesh for 4, with three wickets tumbling for 12 runs. But Green and Powell’s unfinished 70-run stand off 40 balls turned the tide. Powell’s 39* off 24 and Green’s 32* off 24 gave KKR real firepower.
Bowling honors were spread across LSG’s attack, with one wicket each to Prince Yadav, Siddarth, Digvesh Rathi, and Avesh Khan. As LSG gear up for the chase, the pressure is on Pant’s lineup including Marsh, Markram, Pooran, and Shami to overhaul the target under the lights.
