Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Harshit Rana made headlines with an intense celebration after dismissing Aiden Markram during the Indian Premier League 2025 match against Lucknow Super Giants at Eden Gardens. Rana, who had a tough start, was targeted by Markram and Mitchell Marsh as they gave Lucknow a flying start. Markram played the aggressor, smashing boundaries and keeping the pressure on KKR's bowlers. However, Rana turned the game around in the 11th over with a brilliant off-break delivery that shattered Markram’s stumps.
The wicket triggered an animated reaction from Rana. The pacer, fired up, gave Markram a bold send-off, gesturing him to return to the dugout. The Lucknow opener, who looked in top form, fell just three runs short of a half-century. He scored 47 off 28 balls with four fours and two sixes at a strike rate of over 167. Despite the breakthrough, Rana struggled in his later overs. Marsh capitalized on the strong start, scoring a powerful 81 off 48 balls. Nicholas Pooran later accelerated the innings with a blistering half-century off just 21 balls, adding to Rana’s woes as he was punished for runs in his third over.
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LSG Post Massive Total Despite Rana’s Efforts
LSG finished with a massive 238/3 in 20 overs, powered by explosive innings from Marsh, Nicholas Pooran and Markram.
Marsh played a blistering knock of 81 off 48 balls, while Pooran smashed an unbeaten 87 off just 36 deliveries. The team accelerated in the second half, adding 143 runs in the final 10 overs. Pooran brought up his fifty in just 21 balls, hammering seven fours and eight sixes.
Despite Rana’s two wickets, he was the most expensive bowler, conceding 51 runs in four overs. Spencer Johnson struggled as well, giving away 46 runs in three overs. Andre Russell was the only other successful bowler for KKR, taking 2/32 in two overs. KKR will now need a record chase to secure their third win of the season.
Playing XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders: Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Lucknow Super Giants: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (captain and wicketkeeper), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh Rathi.
