Lucknow Super Giants kept their IPL playoff hopes alive with a thrilling nine run victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a rain affected clash at the Ekana Stadium. In a contest reduced to 19 overs per side, LSG produced a complete performance with bat and ball to finally snap their six match losing streak.
The foundation of the win came from Mitchell Marsh, who delivered one of the finest innings of the season. The Australian opener smashed a sensational 111 from just 56 deliveries, recording the fastest century in LSG history. His knock was filled with clean striking and fearless intent as he punished both pace and spin on a surface offering extra bounce and carry.
Marsh reached his half century in only 20 balls and never slowed down after the rain interruption. He dominated the RCB attack with powerful shots all around the ground, collecting 90 runs through boundaries alone. While Arshin Kulkarni struggled for fluency during his 17 off 23 balls, Marsh ensured the scoreboard kept moving rapidly.
LSG finished strongly thanks to captain Rishabh Pant, whose explosive 32 from only 10 deliveries gave the innings the perfect ending. Three consecutive boundaries off Rasikh Dar in the final over helped Lucknow post a formidable 219.
RCB’s chase suffered an early collapse after Prince Yadav produced a stunning delivery to dismiss Virat Kohli for a duck. The sharp delivery jagged back at pace and crashed into the stumps, leaving the Bengaluru crowd silent. Jacob Bethell also departed cheaply as RCB slipped to 9 for 2.
However, Rajat Patidar launched a remarkable counterattack to revive the innings. He raced to a 26 ball half century and attacked both Mayank Yadav and Digvesh Rathi with confidence. Patidar especially targeted Rathi, smashing 23 runs from just six balls during one brutal phase.
Just when momentum appeared to swing towards RCB, Prince Yadav returned to change the game again. He removed Devdutt Padikkal with a clever slower delivery before forcing Jitesh Sharma into a mistimed pull shot moments later. Shahbaz Ahmed also played a crucial role by dismissing both Patidar and Tim David during key stages of the chase.
RCB needed 20 from the final over, but Digvesh Rathi held his composure brilliantly as LSG secured a memorable victory to keep their campaign mathematically alive.
