Sanjiv Goenka drew widespread praise online for a notably modest gesture following Lucknow Super Giants’ win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday. In a rain-affected IPL 2026 contest at Ekana Stadium, Lucknow held on to beat RCB by nine runs under the DLS method, tightening the grip on their playoff hopes.
LSG’s DLS win and the key performances
- Lucknow Super Giants successfully defended their revised target in a reduced 19-over match, winning by nine runs via the DLS method.
- Mitchell Marsh delivered a match-defining knock, smashing 111 off just 56 deliveries to anchor LSG’s chase-resistance.
- Rishabh Pant contributed valuable finishing acceleration, remaining unbeaten on 32 off 10 balls as LSG posted 209/3.
- RCB’s innings started poorly, with Virat Kohli dismissed for a duck and Jacob Bethell departing cheaply.
- Prince Yadav provided a major breakthrough spell, returning figures of 3/33.
- Rajat Patidar fought hard with a composed 61, while late-impact cameos from Tim David, Romario Shepherd and Krunal Pandya kept RCB within range.
- Even so, RCB fell short in the final over as Digvesh Rathi managed the pressure with calm precision.
The result ended Lucknow’s run of six straight defeats and also marked their first home win of the season.
Goenka’s viral gesture after the match
After the game, a heartwarming sequence quickly became a talking point on social media. Goenka was seen walking up to Virat Kohli alongside his grandson, aiming to meet the RCB star. At that moment, Kohli was in conversation with former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. Rather than interrupt, Goenka patiently waited beside his grandson until the discussion concluded. In the clip, he is even shown stopping an LSG staff member from approaching Kohli and Williamson during their interaction.
Once the conversation wrapped up, Goenka and his grandson finally got the opportunity to meet Kohli. The RCB batter welcomed them warmly and also signed an autograph for the youngster, turning the moment into something even more memorable.
