Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the first Super Over of IPL 2026 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Sunday (April 26).
KKR reached 155/7 in 20 overs, with Rinku Singh (83 off 51) rescuing them from 93/7. Mohsin Khan claimed a five-wicket haul for LSG. The hosts tied the game in their chase, with Mohammad Shami forcing the Super Over with a last-ball six off Kartik Tyagi.
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, leaving LSG at the bottom of the points table.
After their sixth defeat in eight matches this season, LSG skipper Rishabh Pant emphasized the need for "break" to reset, urging the entire team—not just individuals—to look within for solutions rather than blaming external factors.
"See, I think we definitely need a break. I think we're gonna refresh, there is always pressure and it's gonna be pressure game always, but at the same time, we have to look answers inside, not outside. And just keep it simple man. Just take accountability, each and every guy. Like, it can't be about one or two guys. It has to be about the whole unit and a lot of people will take accountability for that for sure,” Pant said at the post-match presentation.
Pant also defended the decision to send Nicholas Pooran into the Super Over despite the latter’s poor form this season.
“We had a discussion as a group, we had a discussion and the name came up was Nicky P. He might not go through the best form of his life, but at the same time, you gotta trust your player in a hard situation like this. They're gonna come off nicely. So, no excuses there. Just looking at the positive, there might not be enough positive right now, but I think after the break, there will be a lot of enough positive for sure,” he remarked.
Pant explained that giving the last over to Digvesh Rathi was a proactive move as they were looking for a wicket. Notably, the leg-spinner was hammered for four straight sixes by Rinku, which propelled KKR to a competitive total after a miserable collapse.
“See, there are always time in cricket where you can turn a little bit of bowling at the same time. But sometimes bowlers got to bowl that hard overs. And there will be time when I have to give him that in middle overs because I was looking for a wicket. I just didn't get one. That was the thought process behind it. And too many minds doesn't make it easy on the ground,” he concluded.
