Badoni, Choudhary help LSG beat KKR by three wickets
Lucknow Super Giants defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by three wickets in an Indian Premier League match here on Thursday.
Opting to bowl, LSG restricted KKR to 181 for four.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi (45 off 33 balls), skipper Ajinkya Rahane (41 off 24 balls), Rovman Powell (39 not out off 24 balls) and Cameron Green (32 not out off 24 balls) were the major contributors for the home side.
For LSG, Digvesh Singh Rathi (1/25) was the pick of the bowlers.
Chasing 182, LSG rode on Ayush Badoni's 34-ball 54 and Mukul Choudhary 's brilliant 27-ball 54 not out to cross the line in a last ball thriller.
For KKR, Anukul Roy (2/32) and Vaibhav Arora (2/38) were the main wicket-takers.
Earlier in the innings, Lucknow Super Giants clawed their way back with a disciplined middle-overs bowling effort to restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to 181 for 4 in their IPL clash here on Thursday.
Sent in to bat, KKR, who were searching their first win of the season, were cruising at 98/1 at the halfway mark, with skipper Ajinkya Rahane and the in-form Angkrish Raghuvanshi in full flow.
The duo added 84 runs off 52 balls and looked set to power the home side past 200 after Finn Allen (9) fell for a second successive single-digit score.
However, a smart mix of spin and tidy pace bowling triggered another familiar middle-overs slump for KKR who lost three wickets between overs 11 and 14.
Rahane (41 off 24 balls; 4x4, 2x6) fell to spinner Digvesh Rathi with Mohammed Shami completing a fine low catch, while Raghuvanshi (45 off 33 balls; 5x4, 2x6) holed out to long-on in the very next over off left-arm spinner Maniraman Siddharth.
The slide worsened when Avesh Khan returned strongly after an expensive start to clean up Rinku Singh (4) with a sharp back-of-a-length delivery that seamed away, leaving KKR without a boundary for 30 balls.
KKR slipped to 115/4 in 15 overs, once again exposing their fragility in the middle phase.
A late flourish from Rovman Powell (39 not out off 24 balls; 4x4, 2x6) ensured KKR score a competitive total, while Cameron Green (32 not out off 24 balls; 3x4, 1x6) finally had his best show after intense scrutiny as the highest paid (Rs 25.20-core) overseas cricketer in the IPL.
But the LSG bowlers led by Shami (27 runs from 4 overs with nine dot balls) were outstanding.
Rathi was the tidiest with 1/25, while Siddharth returned with 1/34.
Earlier, Rahane set the tone with an aggressive approach, showcasing exquisite timing and intent, while Raghuvanshi continued his rich vein of form, playing the perfect foil.
The youngster, fresh from back-to-back fifties, combined fluency with composure as the pair recovered after Finn Allen's early dismissal.
Allen's wicket, however, was not without controversy as he top-edged one to deep third, where Rathi completed a tricky back-pedalling catch close to the ropes, with the umpires opting not to review the boundary call.
KKR had a slow start with 18 dot balls in the first five overs but recovered through Raghuvanshi's counterattack against Avesh, finishing the powerplay at 56/1.
