Pooran, Marsh power LSG to narrow win over inconsistent KKR in high-scorer at Eden

Lucknow Super Giants edged Kolkata Knight Riders by four runs in a high-scoring thriller in the IPL at Eden Gardens on Tuesday. Rishabh Pant-led LSG have halted their inconsistent run by winning a second straight match to climb into the fourth position, at least temporarily.

KKR couldn't have made a better start as they added 91 in the powerplay, chasing a massive total of 238/3, which was built by the incredible Nicholas Pooran (87 off 36) and opener Mitchell Marsh (81 off 48).

For KKR, the unpredictable Sunil Narine gave the desired start with a quick-fire 30 off 13. The hosts were on course for a famous win even after Narine fell, with skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer stitching up 71 for the third wicket, taking them to 162 in 13 overs.

But after Shardul Thakur and Akash Deep removed Rahane and Iyer, KKR lost the plot. Andre Russell's failure with the bat continued, while impact subs Angkrish Raghuvanshi (5) and Ramandeep Singh (1) gave up under pressure. Rinku Singh attempted a late rescue with a 15-ball 38, but it wasn't sufficient.

Earlier, Pooran finished what Marsh started as the LSG batters silenced their critics. LSG had been sailing smoothly in the tournament so far, with pockets of individual performances. But it only took one match for their batsmen to turn the tide in their favour, displaying a perfect example of team effort.

LSG, starting the attack from the very first ball, gave KKR bowlers little room. Aiden Markram and Marsh took on the bowlers and quickly added 99 runs to the scoreboard in just 10 overs.

Though Harshit Rana dismissed the dangerous-looking Markram for 47 runs, they could not hold back what followed.

Pooran joined Marsh in the middle and completely overshadowed the efforts of KKR skipper Rahane to contain them. The duo sent the ball flying to every corner of the ground. Meanwhile, Pooran completed his fifty in just 21 balls, marking his second-fastest in the tournament so far.

The partnership added 71 runs when Andre Russell struck to remove Markram in the 15th over. He was dismissed for 81 runs.

Pooran continued the assault from one end and ensured that the team reached a total of 238 runs. If it had not been for the decent bowling from Vaibhav Arora in the last over, the team score could have easily reached 250 runs. Pooran made an unbeaten 87 runs while David Miller stood at the other end with 4 runs. Harshit Rana took two wickets, while Russell claimed one.

Brief scores: LSG 238/3 in 20 overs (Pooran 87 not out, Marsh81, Markram 47, Harshit Rana 2/51) bt KKR 234/7 in 20 overs (Rahane 61, Iyer 45, Narine 30, Thakur 2/52, Akash Deep 2/55)