KKR vs LSG Match Scorecard: Super Over Thriller in Lucknow (IPL 2026)

Few contests in IPL 2026 have delivered as much drama as the clash between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Played on April 26, 2026, as Match 38 of the season, this fixture swung wildly between the two sides before being decided in a Super Over — the first of the season for both franchises. What began as a lopsided contest, with LSG’s bowlers running through KKR’s top order, turned into a heist engineered by one man: Rinku Singh. By the time the dust settled, KKR had walked away from Lucknow with a famous victory, while LSG were left to rue a match that slipped through their fingers in the most agonising fashion.

This article breaks down the full scorecard, the key passages of play, the standout individual performances, and the moments that decided the contest — from a stunning five-wicket haul to a last-ball six and a Super Over that will be replayed for years.

Match Details at a Glance

Tournament: Tata IPL 2026, Match 38
Date: April 26, 2026
Venue: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
Result: Match tied after 20 overs each; Kolkata Knight Riders won the Super Over
Player of the Match: Rinku Singh (KKR) — unbeaten 83 off 51 balls and four catches

Kolkata Knight Riders Innings: 155/7 in 20 Overs

KKR were sent in to bat and endured a torrid start against LSG’s new-ball attack. Left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan was the chief destroyer, using hard lengths and clever changes of pace to rip through the top order inside the powerplay. Tim Seifert, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rovman Powell were all removed early, leaving KKR reeling at 31 for 4 inside the first six overs. Mohsin returned later in the innings to remove Cameron Green and Anukul Roy as well, taking his tally to five wickets and leaving KKR tottering at 93 for 7 by the 15th over — figures that eventually finished at a remarkable 5 for 23 from his four overs, his maiden five-wicket haul in T20 cricket.

With KKR staring down the barrel, Rinku Singh anchored what remained of the innings. He built his knock patiently through the middle overs before exploding in the closing stages. The turning point arrived in the 19th over, when Rinku struck Mohammed Shami for a six and two successive fours, before reserving his most brutal assault for Digvesh Rathi in the final over — smashing four sixes in a row to plunder 26 runs and race to an unbeaten 83 off just 51 deliveries. His stand with Sunil Narine for the eighth wicket added 62 runs, a new KKR record for that wicket in IPL history, surpassing the previous best shared between Umesh Yadav and Rinku himself. That late surge propelled KKR from what looked like a sub-120 total to a fighting 155 for 7 at the end of 20 overs.

Key KKR Batting Performances:

Rinku Singh: 83* off 51 balls
Cameron Green: 34 off 21 balls (top scorer among the rest of the order)
Contributions from the rest of the top order were largely cut short by Mohsin Khan’s opening burst

Key LSG Bowling Performances:

Mohsin Khan: 5 wickets for 23 runs in 4 overs — the standout spell of the match
George Linde: 1 wicket for 18 runs in 2 overs
Support from the rest of the LSG attack was largely overshadowed by Mohsin’s individual brilliance

Lucknow Super Giants Innings: 155/8 in 20 Overs

Chasing 156 for victory, LSG’s reunited opening pair of Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram lasted only seven balls together before Vaibhav Arora removed Marsh for just 2, caught at mid-on. Markram, however, settled in and combined with captain Rishabh Pant to rebuild the innings. The pair added 57 runs for the second wicket, steadying LSG’s chase and keeping the required rate within reach. Markram made 31 off 27 balls, while Pant played the anchor role with a well-constructed 42 off 38 deliveries, striking the ball cleanly through the middle overs before eventually falling.

LSG’s innings then hit turbulence. The middle order struggled to keep the scoreboard ticking, and by the time the fifth wicket fell, LSG were 93 for 5, still needing 63 runs from just 28 balls — a position that appeared to put the game firmly in KKR’s grasp. Ayush Badoni chipped in with a brisk 24 off 19 balls, and together with Himmat Singh and George Linde, LSG clawed their way back into contention in the closing overs.

The finish was pure theatre. With 17 runs needed off the final six balls, Kartik Tyagi began the over with successive no-balls off high full tosses before dismissing Himmat Singh. That left LSG needing seven runs from the final delivery — and Mohammed Shami, with the bat in hand, launched Tyagi’s final ball over long-off for a stunning six to level the scores and force a Super Over, capping an extraordinary twist that few inside the stadium had anticipated just an over earlier.

Key LSG Batting Performances:

Rishabh Pant: 42 off 38 balls
Aiden Markram: 31 off 27 balls
Ayush Badoni: 24 off 19 balls
Mohammed Shami: A match-tying six off the final ball of the innings

Key KKR Bowling Performances:

Vaibhav Arora: 2 wickets for 24 runs in 4 overs
Varun Chakravarthy: 2 wickets for 33 runs in 4 overs
A disciplined spin-heavy attack kept LSG’s required rate under pressure through the middle overs

The Super Over: KKR Seal It in Style

With the match locked at 155 apiece after regulation overs, the contest moved into a Super Over — the first for either franchise this season. LSG batted first in the eliminator over, and it turned into a nightmare for the home side. KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane turned to veteran spinner Sunil Narine, who produced a masterclass under pressure. Narine bowled Nicholas Pooran off the very first delivery, and after Pant managed a single, Markram was dismissed attempting a big hit — caught via a spectacular relay effort between Rovman Powell, who sprinted around the boundary rope, and Rinku Singh, who completed the catch at long-off. LSG’s Super Over yielded just 1 run for the loss of 2 wickets, the lowest total recorded in a Super Over so far this season.

Chasing a target of just two runs, KKR needed no time to finish the job. Rinku Singh, who had already been the hero of the chase with bat and had taken part in the decisive relay catch, opened the KKR Super Over and drove the very first ball from Prince Yadav through cover point for four, sealing victory in the most emphatic fashion possible.

Turning Points and Match Summary

Several passages of play defined this contest:

Mohsin Khan’s opening burst — reducing KKR to 31 for 4 inside the powerplay set the tone for a batting collapse that nearly buried KKR before the innings had even reached its midpoint.
Rinku Singh’s counter-attack — his unbeaten 83, especially the four sixes struck in the final over, transformed a below-par total into a genuinely defendable one.
The Pant-Markram stand — LSG’s 57-run second-wicket partnership kept the chase alive after an early setback and put the pressure back on KKR.
The final-over drama — Kartik Tyagi’s no-balls and Mohammed Shami’s last-ball six flipped the momentum entirely, forcing a tie that few would have predicted.
Narine’s Super Over masterclass — two wickets in three balls restricted LSG to just a single run, effectively ending the contest before KKR even had to bat.

Playing XIs

Lucknow Super Giants: Mitchell Marsh, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant (captain, wicketkeeper), Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Mukul Choudhary, Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Mayank Yadav

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wicketkeeper), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Matheesha Pathirana

Final Result

Kolkata Knight Riders 155/7 (20 overs) and 1 run in the Super Over beat Lucknow Super Giants 155/8 (20 overs) and 1/2 in the Super Over

Kolkata Knight Riders won the Super Over and, with it, the match.

Conclusion

This KKR vs LSG contest will be remembered as one of the defining matches of IPL 2026 — a game that seemed to be sliding away from Kolkata Knight Riders before Rinku Singh’s remarkable rescue act, only for Lucknow Super Giants to claw their way back with a heart-stopping finish courtesy of Mohammed Shami. In the end, though, it was KKR’s composure in the Super Over, powered by Sunil Narine’s clinical spell and a brilliant piece of fielding involving Rovman Powell and Rinku Singh, that made the difference. For neutral fans, it was a showcase of everything that makes T20 cricket, and the IPL in particular, must-watch entertainment: fluctuating momentum, individual brilliance under pressure, and a finish decided by the finest of margins.

For LSG, the defeat will sting given how close they came to completing what would have been a memorable chase, and their focus will now turn to tightening up their finishing touches in tight run-chases. For KKR, this win offers a timely boost, driven largely by the emerging reputation of Rinku Singh as one of the format’s premier finishers, and by the enduring value that a fit and firing Sunil Narine brings to their bowling attack in the most pressure-filled moments of a match.