IPL 2022 | Rinku Singh's heroics go in vain as LSG punch their ticket by two runs

Lucknow Super Giants have sealed their place in the playoffs but not before they were given a scare for the ages by Rinku Singh (40 off 15 deliveries) and Sunil Narine (21* off seven deliveries), who nearly pulled off a heist so immense that one had to witness it live to believe it.

In what can be called one of the greatest-ever games in IPL history and indeed the best game of the season, it took the last delivery of the 40th over to separate the two sides.

With the target as big as 211 and it being a must-win game, it was pretty clear that KKR needed to come out all guns blazing.

That wasn't the case in the first three overs, though, as they managed just ten runs besides losing Venkatesh Iyer (0, thanks to a sensational one-handed grab from De Kock) and Abhijeet Tomar, who ended up giving a simple catch to Rahul at short mid-wicket.

Both wickets went to the ever-so impressive Mohsin Khan, who also dismissed Andre Russell later in the innings to finish with figures of 3/20 in four overs.

Coming back to the run-chase, things changed when Avesh Khan came into the attack as Nitish Rana and Shreyas Iyer laid into the fast bowler, with the former creaming him for five fours in the 5th over.

Rana went on to hit eight fours in his next 11 deliveries and, along with Shreyas, brought KKR back in the game by adding 50 in the next 3.

Rana (42 off 22 deliveries) eventually perished for the cause when he mistimed an attempted loft off Gowtham, but Shreyas continued with his onslaught.

The KKR skipper was brutal against both kinds of spin as well as seam bowling as he creamed boundaries on a regular basis. However, LSG didn't test him with the short pitch stuff, something worth pointing out here.

Nevertheless, Shreyas completed his 3rd fifty of the season off 28 deliveries in the 14th over, but, like Rana, he too perished for the cause.

Andre Russell endured a forgettable day at the office as he failed to get any sort of timing or power on his shots, eventually perishing for an 11-ball 5.

The game looked done and dusted when Russell departed, but Rinku and Narine had other ideas.

In a display of ruthless and, in Rinku's case, audacious display of hitting, the duo kept KKR in the game by hammering 34 runs off the 18th and 19th over.

The equation eventually boiled down to 21 off 6, but with Stoinis bowling the final over, the game still hung in the balance.

It didn't stay that way for long, though, as Rinku took the total toll of the slot balls that Stoinis was feeding him, reducing the equation to 5 off 3.

It looked like KKR would keep their hopes alive in the competition by nailing down their highest run-chase, but Evin Lewis had other ideas.

Stoinis once again delivered a wide delivery outside off. Rinku couldn't get the best of connection to the attempted lofted slice. Lewis, running from backward point, proceeded to take a stunning left-handed catch.

Stoinis and LSG got a jailbreak, and the former ensured that it stayed that way as he clean bowled Umesh Yadav with a yorker to seal a 2-run win.

Record-breaking stand between centurion Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul sinks KKR

Earlier, Lucknow Super Giants rode on a sensational knock from Quinton de Kock (140* off 70 deliveries) and a record-breaking unbeaten 210-run opening stand between him and KL Rahul.

De Kock was at the height of his powers on Wednesday night. The swashbuckling South African cricketer dished out his 360-degree stroke play against a helpless Knight Riders' attack and ended up making his highest T20 score.

The southpaw brought up his hundred on the 59th delivery of his innings courtesy of an imperious cut-shot off Andre Russell, which went for a boundary.

He celebrated the feat by handing a sucker punch to Tim Southee as he creamed the Kiwi seamer for three consecutive sixes in the 18th over.

It wasn't a particularly blazing start for LSG as they only managed just 44 runs in the powerplay. However, KL Rahul was once again slow to get off the blocks, managing 18 off 18 in the first six.

He got off to yet another half-century in 41 deliveries, but with LSG's score reading 111/0 after 14 overs, it was pretty evident that one of the two batters had to press on the accelerator.

That is precisely what De Kock did. The left-hander smashed 71 runs off the 22 deliveries he faced in the last five overs, enabling his side to rack up 210.

This is the first time in IPL history that a batting side ended their innings without losing a wicket. 

The 210-run stand between De Kock and Rahul is now the highest opening partnership in the league's history. The record was previously held by David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, who had racked up 185 runs between them in 2019.

It was a night to forget for KKR, especially for Southee and Russell, as the duo conceded 102 runs in 7 overs between them.

Brief Scores:

Lucknow Super Giants:  210/0 (20)

Quinton de Kock 140* (70), KL Rahul 68* (51)

Kolkata Knight Riders: 208/8 (20)

Shreyas Iyer 50 (29), Nitish Rana 42 (22)

Mohsin Khan 3/20 (4), Marcus Stoinis 3/23 (2) 

Lucknow Super Giants won by 2 runs.