Mitchell Marsh’s maiden IPL hundred powered Lucknow Super Giants to a competitive total at Ekana Stadium, but it was Digvesh Rathi’s disciplined bowling that ultimately swung the contest. LSG restricted Royal Challengers Bengaluru to 203 for 6 in a rain-affected match reduced to 19 overs per side, defending 209/3 as they snapped a run of six straight defeats.
Quick facts
- Venue: Ekana Stadium, Lucknow
- Match format: Revised to 19 overs per side (rain adjustment)
- LSG innings: 209/3 in 19 overs — Mitchell Marsh 111 (56), Nicholas Pooran 38 (23), Rishabh Pant 32* (10)
- RCB chase: 203/6 in 19 overs — Rajat Patidar 61 (31), Tim David 40 (17)
- LSG bowling highlight: Krunal Pandya 1/31
- Result: LSG won by 9 runs (DLS method)
- Table note: RCB retained their position; LSG remained at the bottom
In the revised chase, Bengaluru were chasing a target of 213 under the DLS method, yet their momentum kept getting interrupted. Patidar and Tim David provided quick bursts, but the required rate kept hovering just out of reach as LSG managed the final overs better than the visitors.
Brief scores: Lucknow Super Giants 209/3 in 19 overs (Mitchell Marsh 111 off 56, Nicholas Pooran 38 off 23, Rishabh Pant 32* off 10; Krunal Pandya 1-31) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru 203/6 in 19 overs (Rajat Patidar 61 off 31, Tim David 40 off 17; Prince Yadav 3-33) by 9 runs (DLS method).
A fifth different opening pair for LSG
LSG experimented with a new top combination, and Mitchell Marsh made it instantly count. In the second over, Marsh drilled two sixes with a straight bat over Hazlewood, with the celebrations arriving just before and after a brief rain interruption.
His opening partner, Arshin Kulkarni, nearly handed a return catch to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was featuring in his 200th IPL match. Kulkarni was taking his time to settle, while Marsh looked in complete control—carving a Bhuvneshwar delivery over cover for a maximum and then striking a four and a six off Krunal Pandya in the fourth over.
Marsh also showed disdain for a Rasikh Dar Salam delivery, and despite a strong effort from substitute fielder Jordan Cox, Marsh still managed a big hit towards long-on. By the end of Hazlewood’s second over—the final one of the Powerplay—Marsh had raced to a 20-ball fifty, with LSG reaching 68/0 after six overs, the highest Powerplay score LSG had posted in Lucknow this season.
Rain, ton, and rain again
More boundaries followed as the Australian T20 skipper continued to pick gaps and punish the bad length. Marsh cleared the ropes again off Suyash Sharma and Kulkarni opened his account with a late cut, before Marsh added two more fours off Krunal and Suyash.
Another stoppage halted proceedings, this time for a longer spell as rain returned. At that stage, LSG had surged to 95/0, with Marsh on 76 from 32 balls.
When play resumed after more than 30 minutes, no overs were lost. Kulkarni’s resistance lasted only briefly after the restart, bringing Nicholas Pooran to the crease, and Pooran immediately found rhythm with two fours off Rasikh.
Marsh carried on from where he left off, thumping a six off Krunal as he moved into the nineties. Two boundaries off Romario Shepherd helped Marsh reach a 49-ball hundred—his second IPL century—and he also struck another six even as rain threatened again. With covers back, LSG were 145/1 after 14 overs.
Pant provides a blitzy finish
After yet another break of 30-plus minutes, the innings restarted with one over lost. Marsh was nearly set up for a bigger finish—he hit a four off Rasikh, but Devdutt Padikkal dropped him off Bhuvneshwar. Pooran struck a six in the same over.
Marsh’s innings finally ended when he was caught at deep point off Hazlewood. Rishabh Pant then lifted the tempo, smashing a couple of fours and a six in Hazlewood’s over, while RCB’s fielding woes continued—Jacob Bethell left the field after injuring his finger while attempting a catch.
Krunal then squandered another chance in Bhuvneshwar’s over, reprieving Pooran, before Krunal held his own later by taking one that mattered off Rasikh to send Pooran back. With the chase under pressure, Pant delivered the finishing surge, hitting two fours and a six to push LSG to a strong final total.
Early strikes rattle RCB
Bengaluru’s reply looked nothing like LSG’s controlled start. Mohammed Shami struck in the first over with a wicket, and Prince Yadav responded to an earlier misfield with an excellent catch to send Mark Bethell back.
Prince followed that with a sharp nip-backer that disturbed the stumps and dismissed Virat Kohli for a duck, leaving the visitors to deal with early damage. The ball was moving and biting, and the pitch appeared entirely different from what LSG had faced at the other end.
Padikkal countered with quality strokes, including a classy pull for six off Prince and a boundary through cover off Shami. Rajat Patidar also added runs, but the Powerplay itself was fairly slow—RCB managed only 40 runs in 5.4 overs.
RCB slip again after Patidar fifty
Patidar’s innings accelerated once spin arrived. After scoring 14 off 10 balls, he struck a six and a four off Digvesh Rathi to help build a half-century stand in the seventh over.
RCB’s captain was then forced back by short deliveries from Mayank Yadav before he cleared the boundary at midwicket. Patidar kept attacking—two more sixes off Digvesh arrived as he continued to punish spin and pace, and he brought up a 26-ball fifty with a big hit off Mayank. He then went on to reach three figures in the 10th over.
The partnership did not last long, though. Patidar fell after being caught back to Prince when Padikkal chipped a chance, and Jitesh Sharma was dismissed shortly after, again dealt with by Prince. Shahbaz Ahmed then struck the major blow of the middle phase, removing Patidar, with Markram taking a catch at long-off as RCB slipped from 104/2 to 112/5.
LSG prevail after see-saw battle
With 91 needed from the final six overs, RCB required a rate above 15 as the chase turned into a tense contest. The last four overs produced 63 runs, with Tim David delivering key boundaries—two sixes and a four off Mayank in the 15th over—momentarily tightening the equation.
LSG regained control soon after. Shahbaz dismissed David after he had struck a six, with Digvesh taking a strong catch at point. A couple of fours from Romario Shepherd in the same over reduced the demand to 47 from three overs.
Shami then faced a late scare as Krunal and Prince combined to hit him for two sixes, while Prince also conceded a total of 13 in the over, including a six for Shepherd. Still, the chase boiled down to 20 needed from the final over.
Digvesh Rathi held his nerve and kept the ball away from Shepherd’s hitting zone, sealing the win for LSG and ending Bengaluru’s hopes of a successful chase.
What next for the teams?
RCB will travel to Raipur for their final two home assignments, beginning with a match against Mumbai Indians on May 10. LSG head to Chennai, where they take on Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk in the afternoon game on May 10.
