In a nail-biting match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the BRSABV Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday, the Kolkata Knight Riders defeated the Lucknow Super Giants in a thrilling Super Over, thanks in part to Sunil Narine’s double strike and Rinku Singh’s match-winning boundary, which helped them move up from the bottom of the points standings.

The way for the first Super Over of the current season to take place was set up when the two teams were tied at 155, the 16th such occurrence in the tournament’s history, due to a final-ball six from Mohammed Shami.

Following Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant was released by LSG. The ball was given to Narine, and he quickly turned the game in KKR’s advantage.

On the first ball, Pooran was bowled out when he attempted a slog sweep. Markram was defeated by a superb relay catch involving Rovman Powell and Rinku Singh close to the boundary rope after Pant managed a single. As a result, LSG was only able to score one run in its Super Over innings, which was the lowest total in the one-over shootout in an IPL match.

In response, KKR placed its faith in Powell and Rinku to complete the task. Mohsin Khan, who had previously taken a five-for, was replaced by Prince Yadav, who was tasked with protecting four runs.

The KKR victory was sealed when Prince missed the yorker and Rinku opened the bat face and sliced through the square boundary on the off-side from the very first delivery of their chase.

Earlier in the evening, Rinku had a fantastic night, as he had taken four catches in the outfield during regular game time and hit his highest T20 score of 83 not out off 50 balls, including four sixes in the last over, to help LSG past 150. Rinku’s calm and strength guaranteed KKR their second victory of the season as Narine bowled with accuracy despite the pressure.

In the past, KKR hadn’t had things go their way since Mohsin had chosen 5-23, the finest stats of the current campaign, after he had run through the lineup. After that, Rinku came out and rescued KKR from danger with his undefeated 51-ball innings that included seven fours and five sixes, at a strike rate of 162. 75, including 26 runs off Digvesh Rathi in the last over.

Tim Seifert’s innings for KKR started poorly when he chipped to cover off Mohsin, who then bowled Ajinkya Rahane out for 10 after making a mistake to mid-on. On nine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi was controversially ruled out for impeding the field, and shortly after, Rovman Powell left after gloving behind Mohsin, leaving KKR at 31/4 in 6. 1 overs.

Cameron Green attempted a counterattack, hitting three sixes in his 21-ball 34, but Mohsin’s persistent spell accounted for him as well. As KKR seemed set to score poorly, the left-arm pacer finished a five-wicket haul by taking Anukul Roy for a golden duck.

With Ramandeep Singh and Sunil Narine, though, Rinku maintained his ground and stitched brief, undefeated stands of 20 and 62. In the 19th over, he scored his fifty off 42 deliveries with a drive against Mohammed Shami. His acceleration, albeit late, was decisive. In a spectacular demonstration of power hitting, he launched Rathi for four straight sixes—over long-on, deep extra cover, long-on once more, and cow corner—after making it through a review in the last over.

The three-time champions were given a fighting chance to win the game by Rinku’s late surge, which helped KKR break the 150-run barrier—something that seemed impossible when the team was seven down.

After losing Mitchell Marsh early to Vaibhav Arora in the power play while chasing 156, Rishabh Pant and Aiden Markram stabilized the innings with a 57-run partnership. Pant didn’t begin to take more chances until Sunil Narine caught him out at long-off for 42 after a successful review, while Markram’s smooth 31 came to a close with his capture by long-off.

Nicholas Pooran’s poor performance continued when he was easily dismissed by Varun Chakaravarthy, putting LSG in a difficult position.

With aggressive strokeplay, Himmat Singh (19) and Ayush Badoni (24) then resurrected optimism. Rinku had a fantastic night in the field with four catches, but George Linde managed to score a few quick runs before being caught.

The equation called for 17 runs off the last over, which Kartik Tyagi bowled, and the game swung wildly. After he bowled a no-ball, Himmat hit a free hit for four before being taken at deep square-leg.

Prince Yadav only got a bye with eight needed off four balls, leaving Shami on strike. Shami sent the last delivery over the fence at long-off to tie the scores after a dot ball. Since then, Narine and Rinku have been blocking LSG, which is currently at the bottom of the points standings.

Brief scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 155/7 in 20 overs (Rinku Singh 83 not out, Cameron Green 34; Mohsin Khan 5/23, George Linde 1/18)
Lucknow Super Giants 155/8 in 20 overs (Rishabh Pant 42, Aiden Markram 31; Vaibhav Arora 2-24, Varun Chakaravarthy 2-33)

Super Over: LSG 1/2 lost to KKR 4/0