Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the first Super Over of the IPL 2026 season at Ekana Cricket Stadium on Sunday (April 26).

Mohsin Khan picked up a five-wicket haul (5 for 23 in four overs) for LSG before Rinku Singh's unbeaten 83 off 51 balls, studded with seven fours and five sixes, led KKR's fightback. The southpaw smashed four sixes in the final over bowled by Digvesh Rathi, propelling the visitors to 155/7.

In the second innings, KKR bowlers performed as a unit and put LSG under pressure but Mohammad Shami's last-ball six off Kartik Tyagi took the game into the Super Over.

Sunil Narine delivered a masterclass in the Super Over, conceding just 1 run while taking two wickets (Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram) in only three balls. Rinku sealed the game for KKR on the very first ball by hitting a boundary off Prince Yadav.

After receiving the Player-of-the-Match award, Rinku Singh shared insight on his mindset and approach while batting after a top-order collapse.

“Whenever I go in to bat and the team has already lost 3-4 wickets, my focus is on how to control and take the game forward. I think about how to rotate strike - get singles and doubles - and where I can find boundaries. My main aim is always to take the game till the end,” Rinku said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

His plan was to play according to the situation, adjust to the bowler and capitalize on bad balls for boundaries.

“The plan was simple: since wickets had fallen, I focused on playing safe, building the innings with singles/doubles, and hitting a boundary whenever I got a bad ball,” Rinku stated.

“(On planning for the end overs) There wasn’t any fixed plan like saving shots for the last overs. I just reacted to the situation. Later I realized a spinner was bowling, so I adjusted accordingly,” he added.

Rinku Singh took as many as four catches during LSG’s batting innings, and followed it with Aiden Markram’s grab in the Super Over.

The KKR vice-captain expressed his love for fielding, citing that he is naturally fit and enjoys covering ground. Rinku admitted he wasn't fully ready for Markram’s catch in the Super Over but reacted instinctively when the ball came to him.

“I’ve always loved fielding since childhood. I’m naturally fit, so I can run fast and cover the ground well. I just enjoy fielding a lot,” Rinku remarked.

“(Were you ready for the Super Over catch?) Honestly, I was not ready for that catch. I thought the ball would go somewhere else, but suddenly it came towards me and I managed to catch it,” he concluded.