Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders Timeline

The Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders timeline is one of IPL's most compelling modern rivalries. Born in 2022 (LSG's debut season), this contest has delivered seven action-packed matches packed with record scores, last-ball finishes, and individual brilliance. LSG has established clear early dominance, leading the head-to-head 5–2 against the three-time IPL champions. In this article, you'll find the complete LSG vs KKR match history, head-to-head stats, key records, and highlights from every encounter between these two sides.

LSG vs KKR Head-to-Head Stats

All Matches: LSG vs KKR Timeline

Key Highlights from LSG vs KKR Matches

IPL 2022: LSG's Dominant Debut

Lucknow Super Giants announced themselves on the biggest stage in their very first IPL season, defeating three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders twice within two weeks. In the first meeting on May 7 at MCA Stadium, Pune, LSG posted 176/7 and bowled KKR out for just 101. Avesh Khan was the pick of the bowlers with 3/19, and Andre Russell's 45 off 19 balls was KKR's only meaningful resistance. LSG won by 75 runs, a comprehensive statement of intent.

The second encounter on May 18 at DY Patil Stadium was an entirely different kind of cricket. Quinton de Kock produced one of the great IPL innings: 140* off 70 balls, with 10 sixes and 10 fours. Together with KL Rahul (68* off 51), de Kock built an unbeaten opening partnership of 210, the highest opening stand in IPL history at that point and still the highest partnership ever recorded against KKR. LSG finished on 210/0, and despite Rinku Singh's last-over heroics pushing KKR to 208/8, LSG won by 2 runs in a breathless finish.

IPL 2023: The 1-Run Thriller

If the 2022 matches hinted at an exciting rivalry, the 2023 encounter at Eden Gardens delivered it in full. LSG posted 176/8, a total built on Nicholas Pooran's blazing 58 off 30 balls, which rescued LSG from 73/5 in the 11th over. KKR's reply was driven by Rinku Singh, whose extraordinary 67* off 33 balls took the game to its final delivery with KKR requiring a six off the last ball. He connected, but for four and not six, and KKR finished at 175/7, one run short. It remains one of the most dramatic finishes in this rivalry.

IPL 2024: KKR's Comeback Season

KKR turned the tables in 2024, winning both encounters decisively. The first victory came on April 14 at Eden Gardens, where Phil Salt's unbeaten 89 off 47 balls, alongside Mitchell Starc's 3/28, helped KKR chase down 162 with eight wickets and 26 balls to spare.

The second match was even more emphatic. On May 5 at Ekana Stadium, Lucknow, Sunil Narine launched KKR to a staggering 235/6 with a destructive 81 off 39 balls at the top of the order. LSG were then bowled out for just 137, with Harshit Rana (3/24) and Varun Chakaravarthy (3/30) doing the damage. KKR's 98-run win is the biggest victory margin in this rivalry.

IPL 2025: High-Scoring Drama Returns

LSG reasserted their dominance on April 8 at Eden Gardens. Mitchell Marsh (81 off 48) and Nicholas Pooran (87* off 36, strike rate 241.67) powered LSG to 238/3, their highest score against KKR. Pooran was particularly brutal against Andre Russell in the 18th over, hitting him for 24 runs. KKR mounted a serious chase, with Ajinkya Rahane contributing 61 at the top and the total reaching 234/7, but they fell four runs short in another high-scoring Eden Gardens thriller.

IPL 2026: Mukul Choudhary's Heroics

The most recent chapter was written on April 9, 2026, at Eden Gardens. LSG were set 182 to win but found themselves in deep trouble at 128/7. Step forward 21-year-old Mukul Choudhary, whose extraordinary 54* off 27 balls featuring seven sixes, dragged LSG back from the brink. His unbeaten 54-run partnership with Avesh Khan for the eighth wicket is the highest eighth-wicket stand in a successful IPL chase. With one needed off the final ball, Choudhary swung and missed but scrambled through for a bye as KKR's attempted run-out failed. LSG won with three wickets in hand, extending their overall lead to 5–2.

Notable Records in LSG vs KKR Rivalry

Individual Performances

Team Records

Venue Records

Head-to-Head: Top Performers

Top Batsmen

1. Quinton de Kock (LSG): 140* off 70 in May 2022 and a share in the highest partnership ever recorded against KKR (210 runs with KL Rahul, an unbeaten opening stand).

2. Nicholas Pooran (LSG): Multiple match-winning innings including 87* off 36 (2025), 58 off 30 (2023), and 45 (2024). The most consistently dangerous batter in this rivalry.

3. Rinku Singh (KKR): His 67* off 33 balls in 2023 nearly pulled off an impossible chase and stands as one of the great individual performances in this fixture.

4. Sunil Narine (KKR): 81 off 39 in 2024 set up KKR's biggest-ever win in this fixture.

5. Phil Salt (KKR): 89* off 47 balls in April 2024 helped KKR chase 162 with eight wickets and 26 balls to spare.

Top Bowlers

1. Varun Chakaravarthy (KKR): The most consistent wicket-taker for KKR across this rivalry, including 3/30 in the 2024 98-run win.

2. Avesh Khan (LSG): 3/19 in the first encounter in 2022, and a key part of LSG's memorable last-ball chase in 2026.

3. Harshit Rana (KKR): 3/24 in the 2024 Ekana Stadium win; delivered match-winning spells across multiple encounters.

4. Mitchell Starc (KKR): 3/28 in April 2024, restricting LSG to 161 and helping set up an eight-wicket win.

LSG vs KKR: What Makes This Rivalry Special?

Despite being just four years old, the Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders rivalry has produced some of the most memorable cricket in the IPL era. The dynamic at the heart of this contest is inherently compelling: a brand-new franchise stepping onto the field for the first time and immediately outperforming a club with three IPL titles to their name.

LSG's 71.4% win rate tells a clear story of early dominance. Yet the rivalry has never felt one-sided in the moment. KKR's pair of 2024 victories (one by 8 wickets and one by 98 runs) serve as a reminder that they are capable of delivering emphatic statements when in form. Four of the seven matches have been decided by margins of 4 runs or fewer, which underscores just how competitive these encounters tend to be right up to the final delivery.

Eden Gardens has emerged as the defining venue of this rivalry. Of the four matches played there, LSG have won three, a remarkable record given that it is KKR's home fortress and one of the loudest venues in world cricket. Both teams are built around explosive batting, and the LSG vs KKR head-to-head consistently reflects that: high scoring, individual brilliance, and finishes that go down to the last ball.

Conclusion

The Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders timeline, though only four seasons old, is already rich with unforgettable moments. LSG's 5–2 lead over a franchise with KKR's pedigree is genuinely impressive, and the manner of those wins, often in the tightest of finishes, makes it all the more remarkable. KKR have shown they can go big when conditions suit them, and their 2024 results prove the rivalry is far from over. With both squads built for high-scoring, fast-paced cricket, and with Eden Gardens continuing to host their biggest clashes, future encounters in this rivalry are all but guaranteed to deliver. As IPL 2026 continues, cricket fans can expect more records, more drama, and more defining moments in one of the competition's most exciting modern contests.