IPL 2025 | Marsh, Pooran propel LSG to 238/3 against KKR

Kolkata: Mitchell Marsh smashed his fourth fifty of the season while Nicholas Pooran blasted a 21-ball half-century as Lucknow Super Giants' top-order made light work of Kolkata Knight Riders' attack to post a mammoth 238/3 in the IPL here on Tuesday.

On a sweltering afternoon with a real feel of 40°C, LSG's opening pair of Aiden Markram (47 off 28; 4x4, 2x6) and Marsh (81 off 48; 6x4, 5x6) gave them a blazing start, adding 99 runs off just 62 balls after being put in to bat.

Pooran then lit up the evening with his 36-ball unbeaten 87, studded with seven fours and eight sixes, to power them to their second highest IPL total.

The lefthander cleverly targeted the short leg-side boundary from the dressing room end, and smashed Harshit Rana for two massive sixes over the leg-side to start the 17th over -- regaining the Orange Cap from Marsh in the process.

Such was the domination that LSG reached 95 without loss at the halfway stage and then added 143 in the last 10 overs with Pooran leading the carnage.

It was a clinical batting performance from LSG's top-three. Markram's early impetus, Marsh's consistency, and Pooran’s finishing fireworks left KKR completely outclassed on their preferred dry and sticky wicket.

Markram was the early aggressor, plundering Spencer Johnson for 18 runs in his second over. He lofted two fours and a six off successive deliveries.

KKR’s most economical bowler, Vaibhav Arora, began impressively with a tight off-stump line, conceding just eight runs in his first two overs but found little support from the other end.

KKR turned to Varun Chakravarthy in the fifth over to stem the flow of run. He initially applied the brakes, conceding just 16 runs from his first three overs. But with both openers well set, the breakthrough never came.

Marsh was particularly fluent, working the gaps with ease, while Markram powered his way to 47 before Harshit Rana finally broke the stand in the 11th over with an off-cutter that rattled the stumps.

But if KKR hoped for respite, Pooran had other ideas. The left-hander launched a brutal assault, racing to his third IPL fifty in just 21 balls as he toyed with the KKR bowlers.

Marsh and Pooran added 71 runs off 30 balls for the second wicket, before the Australian fell to Rana after completing his fifty in 36 balls.

But Pooran ensured the momentum never dipped, smashing Varun for a six and four in the 14th over -- the spinner’s most expensive of the evening — which went for 16 runs.

In the middle overs, LSG plundered 75 runs, setting themselves up for a huge total.

KKR’s bowlers had little to offer on their traditionally slow and dry surface.

Varun finished with 0/31, while Johnson was taken apart for 46 runs in his three. Sunil Narine, too, was expensive, leaking 33 from his three overs without a wicket.

Arora remained KKR’s standout bowler, conceding just 35 runs from his four overs, but lacked support from the rest.

Andre Russell, usually deployed as a partnership-breaker, came on only in the 16th over in a baffling decision but by then LSG had made 170.