How Avesh Khan Masters the Art of Winning Without Facing the Final Ball

Avesh Khan has not only been the star for Lucknow Super Giants with the ball. He has also starred for his team when they needed just a few runs in the final balls. It even happened yesterday when LSG needed 1 run off 1 ball, and Avesh ran quickly from the other end to finish the game.

Lucknow Super Giants have won three intense matches at the final ball. In all these matches, different batters were able to play a key role for the team. However, one player remained common for the team across all of these three games and it was Avesh Khan.

And it is not like Avesh went on to smash some boundaries for the team in the final overs to help them win. He just stayed calmly at the other end and went on to take runs to help his team seal the victory. Whether it was the win against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2023 or the win against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2026.

Let's take a look at the three games where Avesh Khan stood as the unusual finisher.

RCB vs LSG: IPL 2023

In the IPL 2023 season, Lucknow Super Giants went against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. RCB batted first in this game and the team went on to score 212 runs for the loss of 2 wickets. Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, and Glenn Maxwell powered the team's innings with half-centuries.

Lucknow Super Giants didn't have a good start in the chase, as the team stood at 23/3. But Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran scored half-centuries which took the team way close to the win. Ayush Badoni also played a crucial role by scoring 30 runs in the chase.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

In the last ball, LSG needed just a run and Harshal Patel even attempted to mankad Ravi Bishnoi from the other end. But he missed on it, and it was time for Avesh to shine. While Avesh Khan missed the final ball, he still ran a single of byes and helped LSG to win the game by literally scoring 0 runs off 1 ball.

RR vs KKR: IPL 2024

Avesh Khan played for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024 but his potential to win games without scoring runs didn't go away. Kolkata Knight Riders had a good start, as they posted a massive total of 223 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. Sunil Narine posted a century, as Avesh Khan also took the wickets of Phil Salt and Andre Russell.

In the chase, Rajasthan Royals was having a tough time but Jos Buttler stood constantly at one end. He also received support from Riyan Parag and Rovman Powell, but it all went down to the lower order in the final over of the game.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

Varun Chakravarthy was bowling to Jos Buttler, as the team needed 1 run off 1 ball to win the game. Buttler played the ball on the leg side and he ran for a single to help his team win the game. The plot twist was that Avesh Khan ran the winning runs, and didn't even play a single ball in the game.

LSG vs KKR: IPL 2026

Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders faced each other at the Eden Gardens in IPL 2026. And Avesh Khan showcased his running skills yet again as this time he was able to score a run in the winning cause. KKR batted first in this game as LSG was able to restrict them pretty well in the death overs.

With Kolkata Knight Riders posting 181 runs in 20 overs, the target seemed easy to chase for Lucknow Super Giants. But things didn't go well, as the top order failed to score runs. Fortunately, Mukul Choudhary and Ayush Badoni stabilized the team's innings at a crucial stage.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

In the end, the team needed 1 run off 1 ball and Avesh Khan stood at the other end with Mukul Choudhary. While Mukul missed the ball, Avesh Khan ran pretty well to make it safely to the crease. This time he helped his team to win the game by scoring just one run.