Kolkata suffer defeat against Lucknow.

In a thrilling match in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Lucknow Super Giants defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by just 4 runs.

Chasing a target of 239 runs, Kolkata Knight Riders were restricted to 234 runs, losing 7 wickets in 20 overs.

Kolkata's opener, Quinton de Kock, was dismissed for 15 runs, caught LBW by Akash Deep. Despite his early dismissal, Kolkata made a strong start, scoring 90 runs in the first powerplay with the loss of just one wicket.

Sunil Narine followed up with 30 runs off 13 balls, including 4 fours and 2 sixes, before getting out. Captain Ajinkya Rahane played an explosive knock, scoring 61 runs off 35 balls, with 8 fours and 2 sixes. His dismissal came when the team had already reached 162 runs.

Venkatesh Iyer contributed with 45 runs, but despite Rinku Singh's efforts in the final overs, Kolkata fell short. Needing 24 runs off the last 6 balls, they could only manage 19 runs, losing the match by a narrow margin of 4 runs.

In bowling, Akash Deep and Shardul Thakur were the key performers, each taking 2 wickets.

Earlier, batting first at Eden Gardens, Lucknow Super Giants posted a massive 238 runs for the loss of 3 wickets. Nicholas Pooran and Mikkel Marsh played superb innings, both scoring half-centuries to propel their team to a strong total.

Opener Aiden Markram and Marshal gave a solid start, sharing a 99-run partnership for the first wicket. Markram fell just 3 runs short of a half-century, scoring 47 runs off 28 balls, including 4 fours and 2 sixes.

After that, Marsh and Pooran added 71 runs for the second wicket. Marsh played a brilliant knock, scoring 81 runs off 48 balls with 6 fours and 5 sixes.

Pooran remained unbeaten on 87 runs off 36 balls, hitting 7 fours and 8 sixes. Abdul Samad contributed 6 runs, and David Miller remained not out on 4 runs. For Kolkata, Harshit Rana claimed 2 wickets, while Andre Russell took 1 wicket.

With this win, the team has now accumulated 6 points from 5 matches, marking their third victory. Kolkata suffered their third loss, with just 4 points from 5 matches.

In today's second match, Punjab Kings won the toss and opted to bat first against Chennai Super Kings.