'Lone warrior' Rinku Singh's heroics go in vain as Lucknow Super Giants beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 1 run

The Lucknow Super Giants secured a playoff berth with a one-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. Despite Rinku Singh's impressive unbeaten 67 off 33 balls, KKR's loss marked the end of their IPL 2023 campaign.

Earlier,KKR captain Nitish Rana won the toss and elected to bowl first. Lucknow Super Giants had a slow start, losing a wicket in the third over. However, Prerak Mankad's contribution helped them accelerate in the last two overs of the powerplay before he fell in the seventh over. 

A breathtaking finish to a sensational encounter! @LucknowIPL clinch a victory by just 1 run after Rinku Singh's remarkable knock 
Scorecard  https://t.co/7X1uv1mCyL #TATAIPL | #KKRvLSG pic.twitter.com/umJAhcMzSQ

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 20, 2023

Vaibhav Arora took the wicket and also claimed the big wicket of Marcus Stoinis in the same over. LSG faced further trouble after captain Krunal Pandya and Quinton de Kock fell as well. However, Nicholas Pooran's big hits helped set up a partnership of over 50 runs with Ayush Badoni. LSG eventually scored 176/8 in 20 overs, with Pooran scoring 58 runs in 30 balls.

KKR got off to a strong start with Venkatesh Iyer and Jason Roy smashing 61 runs in the first 5.5 overs. However, LSG's spinners put a break on the proceedings by taking the wickets of Roy, Iyer, and captain Rana. Andre Russell could not make a significant impact, but Rinku Singh kept KKR alive. He scored an unbeaten 67 off 33 balls and brought KKR within one run of the target.

In conclusion, Lucknow Super Giants' victory secured their spot in the playoffs, while Kolkata Knight Riders' loss marked the end of their IPL 2023 campaign. Despite Rinku Singh's impressive performance, LSG's spinners proved to be the difference-makers in the match.

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