Pooran's sensational fifty fire LSG to 176/8 in must-win duel against Knights

LSG’s Nicholas Pooran celebrates his half-century against KKR at the Eden Gardens on Saturday. Pic/PTI

Lucknow Super Giants, in a match they must win to seal a Playoffs berth, recovered from mid-innings blues to post a fighting 176 for 8 against Kolkata Knight Riders before 50,000 spectators at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.

Sent in to bat, the visitors were 73 for 5 halfway through the innings before a sixth-wicket partnership between Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni fetched 74 in 47 deliveries to put the rocking boat back on an even keel.

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The left-handed West Indian finished on a 30-ball 58 that had five sixes and four boundaries while Badoni scored 25 off 21 balls.

KKR have the near-impossible task of getting to the target inside nine overs and still hope for a few miracles on Sunday.

Harshit Rana bowled a fiery first over, conceding just one run and repeatedly beat Quinton de Kock. The ultra-edge would actually reveal later that the southpaw had snicked one to the ‘keeper without anyone noticing. De Kock celebrated by hitting Rana for a six in his next over and another one off Vaibhav Arora. But wickets kept tumbling at the other end.