Virat Kohli looked completely baffled at Ekana Cricket Stadium as Lucknow Super Giants quick Prince Yadav produced a moment of brilliance. On a 140.4 kph delivery, the ball swung sharply, moving more than a degree late to catch Kohli out. The Pakistan-born stumps? No—Kohli was beaten cleanly: the bat came forward, the ball slipped through the gap, and the off-stump was uprooted. Yadav immediately celebrated, having struck the key wicket of the night, dismissing Kohli for a two-ball duck.
Key takeaways
- Prince Yadav dismissed Virat Kohli with an outswinging delivery clocked at 140.4 kph.
- The ball moved late, swinging over 1.4 degrees, and uprooted the off-stump.
- Kohli’s IPL duck came for the first time in 1110 days, dating back to a 2023 match versus Rajasthan Royals.
- Lucknow Super Giants posted 209/3 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru after rain trimmed the chase to 19 overs.
- Mitchell Marsh smashed 111 off 56 balls, featuring nine fours and nine sixes.
- Rishabh Pant finished strongly with 32 off 10 deliveries to push LSG beyond the 200 mark.
Prince Yadav’s strike ends Kohli’s long duck drought
That Kohli dismissal stood out not only for its accuracy but also for what it ended. It was the first time Kohli had been dismissed for a duck in the IPL since his 2023 outing against the Rajasthan Royals. More specifically, it was his first zero in IPL cricket in 1110 days, a dry spell snapped in spectacular fashion.
At the crease, Kohli couldn’t read the movement early, only to find the ball arriving too late to prevent impact. Yadav, sensing the breakthrough, leapt in celebration after the off-stump went flying.
Marsh and the finishing burst power LSG to 209/3
With the bat, Lucknow Super Giants delivered a dominant performance against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday night in Lucknow. A rain interruption reduced the match to 19 overs per side, but it did not stop LSG from piling up a huge total. The home side finished on 209/3, driven by a majestic hundred from Mitchell Marsh and quick contributions from Nicholas Pooran and Rishabh Pant.
Marsh was the standout performer, striking 111 off just 56 balls. His innings was packed with 9 fours and 9 sixes, and it came in a way that swung the tempo firmly in LSG’s favour after the early overs.
Pooran added valuable support, making 38 off 23 deliveries, while Pant provided the late fireworks, hitting 32 off only 10 balls to help seal the big score.
How the innings unfolded
Mitchell Marsh and Arshin Kulkarni opened for LSG. Marsh wasted little time getting into the rhythm, taking the attack to RCB’s bowlers and giving the innings an immediate lift.
After a careful start against disciplined bowling, Marsh accelerated sharply. In the fourth over, he struck Krunal Pandya for 12 runs, and then followed it with 17 runs in the fifth over against Rasikh Salam Dar.
As the Powerplay came to a close, Marsh continued to push the pace, hammering Josh Hazlewood for another 12 runs in the final over of the session. By the end of six overs, Lucknow were 68 without loss.
From there, Marsh struck a crucial second gear and raced to a half-century off just 20 deliveries—marking the fastest fifty of his IPL career.
Only Abhishek Sharma has recorded a quicker fifty for Lucknow in the IPL than Marsh, highlighting how significant that acceleration was. Marsh attacked from one end consistently, while Kulkarni struggled to find rhythm before finally getting dismissed in the 10th over.
Kulkarni was removed by Krunal Pandya for 17 runs off 24 balls, and Nicholas Pooran walked in next. A vital 70-run partnership then developed between the pair for the second wicket, keeping LSG firmly on course for a massive total.
That stand ended when Hazlewood got Marsh out for 111. Marsh reached the milestone in 49 balls, which also became the quickest century by an LSG batter—beating the 54-ball hundred Rishabh Pant had earlier struck against RCB at the same venue last year.
In the final over of the innings, Rasikh Salam Dar had the better of Pooran, dismissing him for 38 and bringing Aiden Markram to the crease.
Pant then closed the innings in style, smashing 14 runs off the last three deliveries to carry Lucknow past the 200-run mark and set the stage for a tough chase for RCB.
