The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) suffered their third loss of IPL 2026, going down in a last-ball thriller to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Eden Gardens on Thursday. The defeat left them with one point from four matches and ninth on the points table.
The Ajinkya Rahane-led side may be struggling for form, but their West Indian all-rounder, Rovman Powell, remained optimistic about a turnaround.
“If you look at IPL history, teams that win are the ones that peak in the middle and later stages. It’s not easy when you don’t start well, but our destiny is still in our hands. We still have games left. If we keep putting in the work, the results will come. Sometimes it’s not just about the result – tonight was a good game, we just ended up on the wrong side. But wins will come if we keep doing the right things,” he said after the match.
Powell admitted that KKR had let an opportunity slip at home, while crediting Mukul Choudhary, whose unbeaten 54 off 27 balls sealed the chase for LSG.
“You want to make Eden Gardens your fortress. It’s your home, you have your fans behind you, so it always feels good to win here. But unfortunately, tonight we weren’t able to do that. After scoring 180, we believed we could win the game. But the youngster batted really well,” he said.
He also explained the bowling decisions at the death, particularly around the use of key bowlers.
“When it comes to using your best bowler in the 19th over, it depends on how the game pans out. Sometimes you’re under pressure and have to use your best bowlers earlier to give yourself a chance later. That’s what happened tonight,” Powell said.
Reflecting on Mukul’s innings, he added: “That’s what the IPL does – it turns young Indian players into stars. Tonight was his night. He played a fantastic innings.”
There was also a moment of controversy early in the match when Finn Allen was caught at deep third by Digvesh Rathi near the boundary. While the on-field decision went in LSG’s favour, replays suggested the fielder’s foot may have been close to or in contact with the rope.
Despite that, the dismissal stood without a detailed review, leaving KKR questioning the call. Powell, however, did not want to dwell on it.
“Yes, we did talk about that. We’ve seen umpires go upstairs for even lesser things. Maybe it was a blunder, but we’re not going to say that’s what cost us the game,” he said.
