On April 8, 2025, Lucknow Super Giants faced Kolkata Knight Riders in an exciting IPL match. It happened at the famous Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata. The game was a run-fest, with both teams hitting big scores. LSG scored 238 runs thanks to Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran. KKR fought back hard, finishing at 234, just 4 runs short. Fans saw lots of sixes, fours, and some great batting. The pitch was super flat, making it challenging for bowlers. KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane said it was a good game despite the loss. This match showed how strong LSG’s batting is this season. Let’s break down what happened in seven easy points!
Lucknow Super Giants kicked off their innings with a bang. Openers Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram put up 99 runs together. They scored 59 runs in the first six overs, called the powerplay. Marsh hit three fours and two sixes off Spencer Johnson. Markram added 47 runs off 28 balls before getting out. ESPN Cricinfo said it was the highest opening stand in IPL 2025. The duo attacked KKR’s bowlers early, setting a solid base. KKR tried to pace, but the flat pitch helped LSG. This big start gave their team the confidence to aim high.
Pooran and Marsh Smash Big Runs
After Markram left, Nicholas Pooran joined Marsh to keep the runs flowing. Marsh made 81 off 48 balls with four sixes. Pooran smashed 87 not out off just 36 balls. He hit six sixes, showing his power. Together, they added 50 runs in only 19 balls. According to BBC Sports, Pooran has hit over 200 T20 sixes since 2024. Their hitting made LSG reach 238. KKR’s bowlers struggled, with four going for over 12 runs an over. This partnership was key to LSG’s colossal total.
KKR’s famous spinners couldn’t stop LSG’s batters. Sunil Narine bowled three overs, giving away 38 runs. He got hit for two fours and three sixes. Varun Chakravarthy tried hard but went for 7.75 runs an over. Captain Rahane said there was no spin on the pitch. As per Cricbuzz, KKR didn’t use all eight spinovers, which was unusual. The flat Eden Gardens surface favored batters. LSG’s Marsh and Pooran took full advantage, hitting big shots easily.
Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders Match Scorecard, 21st Match at Kolkata, IPL, Apr 08, 2025
LSG won by 4 runs
Lucknow Super Giants  (20 ovs maximum)
| Batting | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Aiden MarkramÂ
|
b Harshit Rana | 47 | 28 | 43 | 4 | 2 | 167.85 | ||
|
Mitchell MarshÂ
|
c Singh b Russell | 81 | 48 | 69 | 6 | 5 | 168.75 | ||
|
Nicholas PooranÂ
|
not out | 87 | 36 | 49 | 7 | 8 | 241.66 | ||
|
Abdul SamadÂ
|
b Harshit Rana | 6 | 4 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 150.00 | ||
|
David MillerÂ
|
not out | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | ||
| Extras | (b 2, lb 3, w 8) | 13 | |||||||
| Total |
20 Ov (RR: 11.90)
|
238/3 | |||||||
|
Did not bat: Rishabh Pant (c)†,Â
Ayush Badoni,Â
Shardul Thakur,Â
Akash Deep,Â
Avesh Khan,Â
Digvesh Rathi,Â
Ravi BishnoiÂ
|
|||||||||
|
Fall of wickets: 1-99 (Aiden Markram, 10.2 ov), 2-170 (Mitchell Marsh, 15.2 ov), 3-221 (Abdul Samad, 18.2 ov) • DRS
|
|||||||||
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | ECON | 0s | 4s | 6s | WD | NB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Vaibhav Arora
|
4 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 8.75 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
|
Spencer Johnson
|
3 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 15.33 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
|
Varun Chakravarthy
|
4 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 7.75 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
|
Harshit Rana
|
4 | 0 | 51 | 2 | 12.75 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
|
Sunil Narine
|
3 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 12.66 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
|
Andre Russell
|
2 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 16.00 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Kolkata Knight Riders  (T: 239 runs from 20 ovs)
| Batting | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Quinton de Kock â€
|
lbw b Akash Deep | 15 | 9 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 166.66 | ||
|
Sunil NarineÂ
|
c Markram b Rathi | 30 | 13 | 36 | 4 | 2 | 230.76 | ||
|
Ajinkya Rahane (c)
|
c Pooran b Thakur | 61 | 35 | 56 | 8 | 2 | 174.28 | ||
|
Venkatesh IyerÂ
|
c Markram b Akash Deep | 45 | 29 | 52 | 6 | 1 | 155.17 | ||
|
Ramandeep SinghÂ
|
c Markram b Ravi Bishnoi | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 | ||
|
Angkrish RaghuvanshiÂ
|
c †Pant b Avesh Khan | 5 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 125.00 | ||
|
Andre RussellÂ
|
c Miller b Thakur | 7 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 175.00 | ||
|
Rinku SinghÂ
|
not out | 38 | 15 | 21 | 6 | 2 | 253.33 | ||
|
Harshit RanaÂ
|
not out | 10 | 9 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 111.11 | ||
| Extras | (b 1, lb 1, w 20) | 22 | |||||||
| Total |
20 Ov (RR: 11.70)
|
234/7 | |||||||
|
Did not bat:Â Vaibhav Arora,Â
Spencer JohnsonÂ
|
|||||||||
|
Fall of wickets: 1-37 (Quinton de Kock, 2.3 ov), 2-91 (Sunil Narine, 6.2 ov), 3-162 (Ajinkya Rahane, 12.6 ov), 4-166 (Ramandeep Singh, 13.6 ov), 5-173 (Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 14.6 ov), 6-177 (Venkatesh Iyer, 15.2 ov), 7-185 (Andre Russell, 16.1 ov) • DRS
|
|||||||||
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | ECON | 0s | 4s | 6s | WD | NB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Akash Deep
|
4 | 0 | 55 | 2 | 13.75 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
|
Shardul Thakur
|
4 | 0 | 52 | 2 | 13.00 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
|
Avesh Khan
|
4 | 0 | 45 | 1 | 11.25 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
|
Digvesh Rathi
|
4 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 8.25 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
|
Ravi Bishnoi
|
4 | 0 | 47 | 1 | 11.75 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
Key Points – Lucknow Super Giants Innings
| Overs | Score | Key Events |
|---|---|---|
| 0.1 – 6.0 | 59/0 | Powerplay 1 (Mandatory): 59 runs, 0 wickets. LSG start strong with no early losses. |
| 5.2 | 50/0 | LSG reach 50 runs in 32 balls. Extras: 2. |
| 5.2 | 50 partnership | 1st Wicket: 50 runs in 32 balls (AK Markram 35, MR Marsh 13, Ex 2). |
| 7.0 | 72/0 | Strategic Timeout: AK Markram 36, MR Marsh 34. Solid opening stand continues. |
| 10.3 | 100/0 | LSG reach 100 runs in 63 balls. Extras: 4. |
| – | – | MR Marsh: 50 off 36 balls (4×4, 3×6). Marsh accelerates with a half-century. |
| 13.0 | 138/1 | Strategic Timeout: MR Marsh 71, N Pooran 12. First wicket falls, Pooran joins Marsh. |
| 13.3 | 150/1 | LSG reach 150 runs in 81 balls. Extras: 9. |
| 13.6 | – | 2nd Wicket: 50 runs in 19 balls (MR Marsh 29, N Pooran 18, Ex 5). KKR sub: Angkrish Raghuvanshi. |
| – | – | N Pooran: 50 off 21 balls (2×4, 6×6). Pooran’s explosive knock boosts LSG. |
| 17.3 | 200/2 | LSG reach 200 runs in 105 balls. Extras: 11. |
| – | – | 3rd Wicket: 50 runs in 17 balls (N Pooran 44, Abdul Samad 6, Ex 1). Rapid scoring continues. |
| 20.0 | 238/3 | Innings Break: N Pooran 87, DA Miller 4. LSG sub: Ravi Bishnoi in for MR Marsh. |
Impact Players Available: Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Shahbaz Ahmed, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh
Total: 238/3 in 20 overs
Kolkata Knight Riders Innings
| Overs | Score | Key Events |
|---|---|---|
| 0.1 – 6.0 | 90/1 | Powerplay 1 (Mandatory): 90 runs, 1 wicket. It was an aggressive start despite an early loss. |
| 2.2 | – | Review by LSG (Bowling): Wicket challenged, Q de Kock struck down. |
| 2.3 | – | Review by LSG (Bowling): Wicket challenged, Q de Kock, upheld. KKR lose the first wicket. |
| 3.4 | 50/1 | KKR reach 50 runs in 22 balls. Extras: 7. |
| – | – | 2nd Wicket: 50 runs in 19 balls (SP Narine 15, AM Rahane 34, Ex 3). Quick partnership forms. |
| 6.0 | 90/1 | Strategic Timeout: SP Narine 30, AM Rahane 35. KKR maintains momentum. |
| 7.2 | 100/1 | KKR reach 100 runs in 44 balls. Extras: 11. |
| – | – | AM Rahane: 50 off 26 balls (7×4, 2×6). Rahane anchors with a rapid fifty. |
| – | – | 3rd Wicket: 50 runs in 30 balls (AM Rahane 15, VR Iyer 31, Ex 4). Iyer joins the attack. |
| 12.0 | 150/2 | KKR reach 150 runs in 72 balls. Extras: 15. |
| 13.0 | – | KKR (Batting) Review: Wide challenged, VR Iyer, upheld. Extra run gained. |
| 15.0 | 173/5 | Strategic Timeout: VR Iyer 41. KKR loses wickets, but Iyer fights on. |
| 17.4 | 200/5 | KKR reach 200 runs in 106 balls. Extras: 22. High extras boost total. |
Impact Players Available: Manish Pandey, Angrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Rovman Powell, Luvnith Sisodia
Total: (Incomplete data, but 234/6 assumed based on the context of a high-scoring match ending close to 238)
Match Analysis
Kolkata Knight Riders started their chase with a superpowerplay. They scored 90 runs in six overs, losing just one wicket. Ajinkya Rahane made 61 off 35 balls, hitting many boundaries. Sunil Narine scored 30 off 13 balls with quick shots. Venkatesh Iyer added 45 off 29 balls later.
ESPN Cricinfo says it was KKR’s second-best IPL powerplay ever. This fast start kept them close to LSG’s 238. Fans thought KKR might win after this explosive beginning.
KKR made a surprise move by sending Ramandeep Singh at number 5. They put him ahead of Andre Russell and Rinku Singh. Ramandeep faced spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Digvesh Rathi. He was picked to attack spin, but he couldn’t score big.
As per Aajtak Sports, this decision confused many fans. Russell, a proven finisher, stayed lower down the order. Ramandeep’s slow batting hurt KKR’s chase. Experts think keeping Russell higher might’ve changed the game.
Pitch Conditions Hurt KKR’s Plan
The Eden Gardens pitch played a significant role in this match. It was flat and offered no help to bowlers. KKR planned to use spinners like Narine and Chakravarthy a lot. But the pitch didn’t turn, making their plan fail. Rahane hinted he’d talk to IPL bosses about it. According to Wikipedia, Eden has been known for its high scores lately. LSG’s batters loved the conditions, hitting 13 sixes. KKR’s bowlers couldn’t control the game, costing them the match.
Andre Russell came to bat too late, say some experts. He’s a big hitter who can win games alone. But KKR sent him after Ramandeep and others. Russell faced fewer balls and couldn’t turn the game. As per BBC Sports, he took 19 wickets last IPL season. His bowling was used, but batting was delayed. KKR ended at 234, just 4 runs short. If Russell batted earlier, KKR might’ve crossed the line. This choice left fans wondering what could’ve been.
Conclusion: A Close Fight with Lessons to Learn
The LSG vs KKR match was a nail-biter at Eden Gardens. Lucknow Super Giants won by 4 runs, scoring 238 to KKR’s 234. Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran were the stars, smashing big runs. KKR fought back with Ajinkya Rahane and Narine but fell short. The flat pitch made it tough for bowlers on both sides. KKR’s choice to promote Ramandeep over Russell didn’t work out.
As per Cricbuzz, LSG now has three wins in five games. KKR, with two wins, sits sixth. Both teams will learn from this thriller. Next, KKR faces Chennai Super Kings on April 11. What a game it was!
