Captain Ajinkya Rahane’s power-packed 61 off 35 balls and Rinku Singh’s 15-ball unbeaten 38 went in vain as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) held their nerve to edge past Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by four runs in a high-scoring IPL 2025 contest at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday.
Chasing 239 runs to win, KKR were 162/3 in 13 overs at one stage before the defending champions suffered a middle-order collapse to lose plot. Although Rinku Singh tried his best at the end, but it was not enough.
It was LSG’s third win of the season while KKR suffered their third loss in five matches. But what went wrong for KKR in the match? Let’s take a look at the mistakes by Ajinkya Rahane against LSG.
Dropping Moeen Ali for Spencer Johnson
One of the biggest mistakes that caught everyone’s eye was dropping Moeen Ali to accommodate Australian left-arm pacer Spencer Johnson. With the game being a day affair, Ajinkya Rahane might have thought about the swing that a fast bowler would generate, but his plans backfired as Spencer Johnson conceded 46 runs in his three overs.
Moeen Ali had impressed against Rajasthan Royals and also could have added an extra batter in the middle order for Ajinkya Rahane. The Englishman could also have troubled the left-handers like Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant, David Miller with his right-arm finger spin.
Why Andre Russell was brought in 16th over?
One of the major reasons for KKR’s title-winning captain last year was Andre Russell’s 19 wickets from 15 matches. KKR didn’t use Andre Russell the bowler in the first two games. From the third game onwards, the West Indian has taken five wickets in three games.
In fact, against LSG, Ajinkya Rahane brought Andre Russell as late as 16th over. The right-arm medium pacer dismissed Mitchell Marsh on his second ball. Had he been brought earlier just after powerplay or at the midway stage, the scenario could have been different.
Rinku Singh at No.8? Wise call?
At162/3 in 13 overs, KKR were in full control of the game. Ramandeep Singh came in only to stay for two balls and score just a run. Thereafter, KKR lost the likes of Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Andre Russell to lose the plot. Coming into bat at no.8, Rinku Singh tried his best with an unbeaten 15-ball 38, but KKR fell short by just four runs.
Had Rinku Singh being sent at No.5, things could have been better for the defending champions. After all, its just a boundary that made the difference between the teams.
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