Who said what – Top 5 expert reactions on LSG vs KKR Super Over in IPL 2026 ft. Virender Sehwag

The Ajinkya Rahane-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat Rishabh Pant’s Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2026 match at Ekana Cricket Stadium on Monday, April 27. They won the contest in a Super Over after the two teams returned with identical scores of 155 in their allotted 20 overs apiece.

Asked to bat first, KKR posted 155/7 in 20 overs. Rinku Singh put up a lone fight, scoring an unbeaten 83 off 51 balls, comprising five sixes and seven boundaries. Cameron Green also chipped in with 34 off 21 deliveries. Mohsin Khan starred with the ball, returning with figures of 5/23.

In response, the Super Giants managed 155/8, thanks to a last-ball six from Mohammad Shami. Captain Rishabh Pant, Aiden Markram, and Ayush Badoni also contributed 42 (38), 31 (27), and 24 (19), respectively. Meanwhile, Varun Chakaravarthy and Vaibhav Arora bagged two wickets apiece for the Knights.

Later, KKR bundled out for LSG for just one run, thanks to two wickets from Sunil Narine. Rinku Singh then slammed Prince Yadav for a boundary off the very first delivery to win the Super Over and the match.

With the win, the Knight Riders rose to eighth place in the IPL 2026 points table. On the contrary, the Lucknow-based franchise dropped to last place.

Former cricketers, including Akash Chopra and Dale Steyn, among others, reacted to the Super Over drama. Take a look:

Dale Steyn

Former South Africa cricketer Dale Steyn came up with a blunt assessment regarding LSG’s poor decision to send under-fire Nicholas Pooran in the Super Over. The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out how the West Indies has made 82 runs in eight matches at a strike rate of 81.18 this season. He told JioStar in the post-match show (via Times Now):

“Three Super Overs for Nicholas Pooran in the IPL, three ducks. So, yes, absolutely. Would you send someone else? Of course. You’ve got players like Mitch Marsh, Rishabh Pant, and Mukul Choudhary. Given Pooran’s recent form, there were other options. He hasn’t scored more than 30 or 40 runs this season. I don’t know the exact numbers, but to send him in first ball in a Super Over to get you runs is almost a criminal decision.

“It could have gone either way, but at this stage of the season, when you’re desperate to win, you don’t send in a batter who hasn’t delivered all season. You go with players who’ve been striking the ball well, guys you trust to clear the ropes, or at least back to do the job. I don’t even think Nicholas Pooran believes he can do it right now; he’s in such a bad run of form,” he added.

Aakash Chopra

Former India opener Aakash Chopra came up with similar sentiments, slamming the LSG team management for their decision to send Nicholas Pooran to take on world-class spinner Sunil Narine in the Super Over. The cricketer-turned-analyst said on his YouTube channel:

“Lucknow Super Giants, please tell me what you were thinking. We knew Sunil Narine would come. If Sunil Narine was going to come, who was the best player you had who could have hit the most sixes and sent spin into the stands, and who has form? Nicholas Pooran’s name doesn’t come in any of those things.

“They sent Nicholas Pooran and put him on strike as well. Nicholas Pooran has played three Super Overs in the IPL and has scored zero in all three. He hasn’t scored a single run. He got out for zero here as well,” he added.

Virender Sehwag

Former India opener Virender Sehwag also reckoned that the LSG management made the wrong call by sending Nicholas Pooran in the Super Over. While urging them to provide him rest, the World Cup-winner added that he would have promoted Ayush Badoni over Pooran. He told Cricbuzz:

“KKR should have won earlier itself, the way things were going. They should not have given away as many runs in the end, and they were lucky that it got tied. I would have sent Badoni if I were there (in the super over). I would never send Pooran as he is out of form, and I did not understand why they sent him. You should never send someone out of form.

“With Pooran’s form, the question now is whether they will play him in the XI in the next game. Sometimes, you think the player who has gotten more money, you think he must keep getting chances. If his worth had been lesser, he would have been an impact player or would have dropped by now. Remove him from the spotlight. Give him a rest for a game or two, and ask him to practice more in the nets,” he added.

Rohan Gavaskar

Former India player Rohan Gavaskar slammed Nicholas Pooran for his poor shot selection, leading to his first-ball wicket in the Super Over. The remarks came as the wicketkeeper-batter was bowled out while attempting a slog sweep as Sunil Narine bowled a tossed-up delivery. The cricketer-turned-analyst said (via Cricbuzz):

“In this kind of Super Over, you must play carefully. Everyone thinks you need to score more than 15, but on this pitch, 10-12 runs should have been the target. The shot Pooran played on the first ball, it was not needed. If you had even 10-12 runs, you would have had some chance. They did not bat responsibly in the Super Over.”

Sanjay Bangar

Former India cricketer Sanjay Bangar said that LSG should have gone with a left-right combination in Risbabh Pant and Aiden Markram over Nicholas Pooran in the Super Over. The 53-year-old added that the Super Giants should have picked two right-handers – Markram and Ayush Badoni at the crucial stage. He told ESPNcricinfo in the post-match show:

“I think there was a case for two right-handers to be used in the three batters that were used. And on the night, Rishabh Pant had scored 30-odd, which was quite useful on that particular surface, so in the first place, if they had to use a right-left combination. Rishabh Panta and Markram would have been the better of the two.

“Marsh, you can understand the reasoning behind that his game play against spin when the ball may grip a little bit and turn inside or go away from the right-hander as well. And at three, I would have then sort of used Ayush Badoni and make sure that you would at least get to a score of maybe seven or eight, having lost that first wicket if you had to lose your first wicket on the first ball. So, I wouldn’t have sent Nicholas Pooran there when Sunil Narine was bowling,” Bangar added.

Notably, LSG retained Nicholas Pooran for ₹21 crore ahead of 2026 auction last year. The 30-year-old amassed 524 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 196.25, including five half-centuries in IPL 2025. Having said that, he has looked clueless with the bat this season.