Time to wrap up this coverage, folks! For now, this is Deepak Prakash signing off on behalf of scorer/analyst Ghanendra Singh Thakur. CHEERS!
Anurag Dwivedi (Lucknow Lions Captain): "We needed to win this game, and we did. Kolkata is a well-balanced side, but there are a few areas of concern—which I won’t reveal just yet (chuckles). If I shuffle the batting order, I do it for the player's sake. We will aim to win three out of the remaining four matches."
Aman Deep Singh (POTM): "That was my role. I got out on the first ball yesterday, and with no one there to steady the ship, we collapsed."
Player of the Match: Aman Deep Singh
Time for the post-match presentation.....
8:04 PM IST, Local Time: Lucknow Lions win by 18 runs and return to winning ways. On the other hand, Kolkata Superstars suffer their first defeat in ECL.
Earlier, after opting to bat first, Lucknow Lions lost Bobby Yadav for just 6 runs in the second over. However, Akash Yadav capitalized on an early reprieve on the first ball of the innings and blasted 48 runs off just 13 deliveries. Deepak Kumar Meena (22) and Harpal Saikia (19) chipped in with cameos in the middle, but Aman Deep Singh delivered an unbetaen 78 runs off just 19 balls, helping his side post 178/6. Afzal Hussain shone with the ball for the Superstars, claiming three wickets. Nikhil Badeja bagged a couple of wickets, while Rachit Sehrawat celebrated a solitary wicket. In response to 178 runs, Sunny Karla scored rapidly and provided a solid start but couldn’t continue the momentum for long, departing for 26 runs. Kolkata Superstars fell like nine pins and were 7 down for 122 runs at one stage. Rachit Sehrawat (42) and Afzal Hussain (24) tried to turn things back but failed to do so as the Superstars were skittled for 160 runs in 10 overs. Bobby Yadav bagged three wickets for the Lions. Manohar Kumar Bhat and Vikash Singh chipped in with a couple of wickets each, while Deepak Kumar Meena and Ashish Kumar Meena contributed one wicket to the downfall.