Kolkata Knight Riders’ pacer Harshit Rana turned the tide in a high-pressure clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2025 match at Eden Gardens. Despite a rough start to his spell, where he was put under pressure by LSG’s openers Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh, Rana bounced back in style to deliver a crucial breakthrough.
Markram looked in menacing form early on, punishing the KKR bowlers with clean, aggressive strokes. He targeted every opportunity to score, including Rana’s first over, putting the Kolkata side firmly on the back foot during the powerplay. At one point, it looked like LSG would cruise to a mammoth total, with both openers firing on all cylinders.
But Harshit Rana had other plans. In the 11th over, after being hit for a boundary off the first delivery, he responded with a clever off-cutter that completely outfoxed Markram. The South African batter, trying to push forward, misjudged the pace and spin, only to see his stumps rattled. It was a textbook slower ball—deceptive in flight and perfectly executed.
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Harshit Rana’s celebration was as fiery as his delivery. He let his emotions out, giving Markram a passionate send-off, gesturing him to walk back to the dugout. It was a moment that reignited Kolkata’s energy on the field and shifted momentum in their favor.
Slower One does the trick 🪄
Harshit Rana with a 🔝 delivery to break a huge opening stand! 🤌
Aiden Markram departed for a superb 47(28).
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In a game where small moments make big differences, Harshit Rana’s comeback not only lifted his own spirits but also brought KKR roaring back into contention.
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Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakaravarthy
Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh Rathi
