IPL 2026: Mukul Chaudhary shines as Lucknow Super Giants hunt down Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens

New Delhi: Mukul Chaudhary smahed a scintillating lower-order half-century as Lucknow Super Giants defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders by three wickets in an exciting IPL 2026 clash at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. Batting first, Kolkata posted a total of 181 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, Lucknow had lost seven wickets by the time the score reached 128; however, Mukul Chaudhary played a blistering innings in the final 5 overs, keeping Lucknow alive in the contest and guiding them to a three-wicket victory in a thrilling match that went down to the very last ball. Lucknow finished with 182 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 20 overs.

What happened during the match?

Chasing a target of 182 runs, the Lucknow Super Giants got off to a good start. Aiden Markram was dismissed after scoring 22 runs off 15 balls, while Mitchell Marsh departed after making 15 runs off 11 balls. Rishabh Pant was out for 10 runs off 9 balls, and Pooran fell after scoring 13 runs off 15 balls. Abdul Samad could only manage 2 runs off 4 balls. Ayush Badoni contributed 54 runs off 34 balls.

Mukul and Shami were at the crease at the end of the innings. Despite a promising start, the Kolkata Knight Riders could only manage to score 181 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 20 overs against the Lucknow Super Giants. For Kolkata, Raghuvanshi was the top scorer with 45 runs. For Lucknow, four different bowlers claimed wickets.

The Kolkata Knight Riders got off to a poor start. The team lost the wicket of Finn Allen in the second over. Allen scored 9 runs off 8 balls. Prince Yadav claimed the first breakthrough. Captain Ajinkya Rahane fell victim to Digvesh after scoring 41 runs off 24 balls. Wicketkeeper-batsman Angkrish Raghuvanshi scored 45 runs off 33 balls, hitting 5 fours and 2 sixes. Rinku Singh could only score 4 runs. Cameron Green (32) and Powell (39) remained unbeaten at the end of the innings. Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant won the toss and elected to bowl first. Lucknow has fielded an unchanged lineup. Sunil Narine makes a return to the Kolkata squad.

Who won the toss in the Kolkata vs Lucknow match?

Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant won the toss in the 15th match of IPL 2026 and decided to bowl first. The Kolkata team will bat first at Eden Gardens.

What were the Playing XIs?

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (Wicketkeeper), Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Navdeep Saini, Kartik Tyagi

Lucknow Super Giants: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper), Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Mukul Chaudhary, Manimaran Siddharth, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Prince Yadav