Mukul Choudhary stuns KKR as LSG win IPL 2026 Match 15 in final over

Lucknow Super Giants needed 14 runs off the last over at Eden Gardens on Thursday night. Most people watching had already started writing KKR's name in the win column. Then Mukul Choudhary happened.

The 24-year-old all-rounder, batting with a tail-ender, hit two massive sixes in that final over to drag LSG past KKR's total of 181. LSG finished on 182 for 7, winning by 3 wickets. It was the kind of finish that leaves you replaying the last five overs on loop.

KKR posted a fighting total but couldn't hold on

KKR batted first after LSG captain Rishabh Pant won the toss and chose to field. Ajinkya Rahane, leading the side, top-scored with 41 before Digvesh Singh Rathi got him out with a well-disguised spinner. Young Angkrish Raghuvanshi chipped in with 45, and the innings looked like it might fizzle out after those two fell in quick succession.

It didn't. Rovman Powell and Cameron Green put on a brisk unbeaten stand in the final overs, with Powell hitting 39 not out and Green contributing 32. KKR eventually finished on 181 for 4, a total that felt competitive on a good Eden Gardens surface.

For KKR, Sunil Narine returned to the side after missing the previous game with an abdominal issue. He bowled tidily, conceding just 13 runs across his spell, and picked up Mohammed Shami's wicket. It was the kind of controlled performance KKR needed more of from their bowlers as a unit.

LSG's chase: early damage, then Choudhary takes over

KKR struck early in the powerplay. Vaibhav Arora, the pace bowler, removed Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram inside the first few overs, leaving LSG at 2 wickets down with the run rate already looking steep. Ayush Badoni, brought in as an impact substitute, steadied things with a gritty 54. But when he fell, LSG still needed a lot with very few recognised batters left.

That's when Mukul Choudhary walked in and changed everything. His 54 off 27 balls included seven sixes, many of them struck against the fielding restrictions being tested in the death overs. He wasn't playing cautious cricket. He was hitting the ball as hard and as cleanly as anyone had all night.

With 14 needed off the final over, Choudhary hit two sixes and scrambled the rest with Avesh Khan at the other end. LSG got home off the last ball. Choudhary was named Player of the Match.

KKR's winless start to IPL 2026 gets longer

This was KKR's fifth match in IPL 2026. They have lost four of them. Their only point came from a rain-abandoned game against Punjab Kings that was called off after 3.4 overs. Before the season began, the franchise had already dealt with injuries to Matheesha Pathirana and Akash Deep, and the forced release of Mustafizur Rahman following BCCI directives.

On paper, the side doesn't look terrible. But results have been brutal. Their batting collapses at critical junctures, and their bowling hasn't been consistent enough to defend or restrict at the death. Rahane, standing in without some of his best options, has limited room to rotate and experiment.

KKR are sitting near the bottom of the IPL 2026 points table and face an uphill task to make the playoffs. With 9 league games remaining, they need to win most of them just to stay in contention.

LSG move to two wins and growing confidence

For LSG, this is their second consecutive win. They lost their opening game against Delhi Capitals badly, bowled out for 141. Since then, they've beaten Sunrisers Hyderabad and now KKR. Rishabh Pant's captaincy has been tactically sound, and the depth of the batting order is becoming clearer with each game.

Mukul Choudhary's knock will be a talking point for a while. He's not a household name yet, but a match-winning 54 at Eden Gardens in a high-pressure chase tends to change that quickly. LSG's next game will tell more about how real their improvement is.