Kolkata, April 9 – Kolkata Knight Riders' lack of experience in fast bowling once again proved costly as Lucknow Super Giants, spearheaded by a stunning late assault from rookie Mukul Choudhary and a half-century from Ayush Badoni, clinched a three-wicket victory in a thrilling IPL match here on Thursday.
Defending a target of 181, KKR looked in control when Cameron Green, making his much-anticipated bowling debut this season, dismissed Lucknow captain Rishabh Pant with his second delivery.
However, the Australian all-rounder, struggling with his bowling rhythm after a back surgery, couldn't deliver in the final overs.
With 30 runs needed off the last two overs, Green conceded 16 runs as 21-year-old debutant Choudhary turned the game around with fearless hitting, smashing two sixes and a four, including a flat hit over long leg.
With 14 needed off the final over, Vaibhav Arora, who had been KKR's lead bowler in the absence of Harshit Rana and Matheesha Pathirana, faltered under pressure.
Choudhary sealed the victory in dramatic fashion, smashing two sixes, including one off the penultimate delivery after a missed yorker, sending it over deep cover.
Needing just one off the final ball, the batters successfully completed it, with Choudhary finishing unbeaten on 54 off 27 balls (7x6, 2x4), one of the best cameos down the order this season.
He shared an unbroken 54-run stand with Avesh Khan, which came off just 24 balls, highlighting KKR's struggles in the final overs.
Earlier, Badoni had anchored the chase with a well-compiled 54 (34 balls; 7x4, 2x6) to keep Lucknow in contention before Choudhary's late blitz, scripting a remarkable turnaround from being 128/7 in 16 overs.
This defeat meant KKR remained winless after four matches, with their only point coming from a rain-affected game against Punjab Kings.
Lucknow, on the other hand, secured back-to-back wins to move to the top half of the table with four points.
Green, who had been heavily scrutinised as IPL's most expensive overseas buy (₹25.20 crore), produced his best outing with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 32 off 24 balls (3x4, 1x6).
He stitched a crucial unbroken stand with Rovman Powell (39 not out; 24 balls, 4x4, 2x6) to help KKR reach a competitive 181/4 after a mid-innings slowdown.
Green, who had been held back from bowling due to back surgery and workload management directives from Cricket Australia, finally bowled in the ninth over and dismissed Pant (10), who edged a mistimed hook to short fine leg.
Arora had also rocked Lucknow with two wickets in three balls, removing Aiden Markram (22; 15 balls) and Mitchell Marsh (15; 11 balls) to derail their brisk start.
From 41/0 in four overs, Lucknow suddenly lost momentum and were left chasing a stiff target.
Markram and Marsh had set the tone with aggressive strokeplay, with the former smashing Saini for 18 runs in an over.
However, Arora's well-directed short-ball ploy paid off as Markram miscued a pull, while Marsh gloved one down the leg side.
With Pant's dismissal adding to the slide, Lucknow were left in a tricky position, though the game remained balanced at 84/3 with 97 needed off the last 10 overs and Nicholas Pooran alongside a well-set Badoni.
Pooran briefly threatened, smashing Green for a six, but KKR kept chipping away.
Kartik Tyagi provided the key breakthrough, dismissing Pooran (13) in the 12th over.
Sunil Narine then tightened the screws with a superb over, building pressure that led to further wickets.
Abdul Samad (2) fell soon after, while Badoni, fighting a lone battle with a well-made 54, also got out to leave Lucknow struggling at 125/6.
From there, the chase fizzled out quickly as the target proved beyond reach, before Choudhary pulled it off in a stunning fashion.
KKR's third loss also highlighted their middle-over slump, as from being 98/1 at the halfway mark, they failed to reach the 200-run mark.
The duo added 84 runs off 52 balls and looked set to power KKR past 200 after Finn Allen (9) fell for a second consecutive single-digit score.
However, a smart mix of spin and tidy pace bowling triggered another familiar middle-overs slump for KKR, who lost three wickets between overs 11 and 14.
Rahane (41 off 24 balls; 4x4, 2x6) fell to spinner Digvesh Rathi with Mohammed Shami completing a fine low catch, while Raghuvanshi (45 off 33 balls; 5x4, 2x6) holed out to long-on in the very next over off left-arm spinner Maniraman Siddharth.
The slide worsened when Avesh Khan returned strongly after an expensive start to clean up Rinku Singh (4) with a sharp back-of-a-length delivery that seamed away, leaving KKR without a boundary for 30 balls.
KKR slipped to 115/4 in 15 overs, once again exposing their fragility in the middle phase.
Thanks to a late flourish from Rovman Powell (39 not out off 24 balls; 4x4, 2x6) KKR managed a competitive total.
Powell also brought out the best in Cameron Green, who had been quiet (8 off 13 balls) but finished with 32 not out (24 balls; 3x4, 1x6).
It was the Australian all-rounder's best show for KKR in four innings but there will still be question marks.