Romario Shepherd scores a four off the first ball of the 16th over to finish the match. It was a comfortable chase to all intents and purposes. They chase down 147 in 15.1 overs. They go top of the table now with this win, on the basis of a superior run-rate. Rajasthan Royals go down to second place.
Virat Kohli top scored for the hosts with 49 runs. Prince Yadav took two wickets in an over but it was a little late in the day for LSG. RCB, with their fourth win five games, look firm favourites to defend their title now. LSG suffered their third defeat in five matches, on the other hand.
Kohli, who didn’t field today and was used as an impact player, talked about his injury and general health at length. “Much better than the last game, still not 100%, knee was sore last game, even health wise I was under the weather for the last four five days. Happy with my intensity,” Kohli said after the match.
Guess what! It’s Josh Hazlewood the Player of the Match. He returned figures of 1/20. His bowling in the powerplay really set back LSG. And remember, he was also behind Pant’s elbow injury. LSG never recovered from there. “Felt much better today [after the RR game], in good shape. Got to look at who you are playing against, conditions play a part, slow wicket today, just had to whack that length,” the Aussie said after the match.
Rajat Patidar and Jitesh Sharma are back in the dugout. Prince Yadav has removed both of them in the space of three balls. In the previous over, Jitesh had done so well. So there was no need to be over-aggressive. Now RCB have to be a little cautious. Tim David and Romario Shepherd, they will have to finish it now for their team.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Lucknow Super Giants, IPL 2026: Virat Kohi has departed for 49. He played an unnecessary shot. Tried to clear the long-on but couldn’t. Avesh Khan accounted for him. But RCB are still on top. At 93/3 in 11.1 overs, they shouldn’t lose this match. Captain Rajat Patidar looks in great touch and he has Jitesh Sharma at the other end. Captain and vice-captain together!
Kohli has looked in his element. Phil Salt departed early but Kohli has since taken complete control of the chase. He has played some exquisite shots. LSG look down in the dumps at the moment. They already look out of the contest. It may be noted Mukul Chouhdary is keeping wicket in the absence of the injured Rishabh Pant and Nicholas Pooran has been given the captain’s responsibilities. RCB 60/1 at the end of the powerplay.
Rasikh Dar takes two wickets in the last over, those of Mukul Choudhary and Avesh Khan. He finishes with four wickets and becomes the pick of the bowlers. Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the other hand takes three for 27. Josh Hazlewood takes one wicket on return. Krunal Pandya also takes a two-for. Complete bowling performance from RCB. LSG 146 all out. It’s RCB’s match to lose now. Bhuvi says it’s a typical Chinnaswamy wicket. It is good for batsmen too.
It’s really bad out there for LSG. Pant is retired hurt. Spinners have tightened the grip since the powerplay. Mukul Chouhdhary and Ayush Badoni have their task cut out now. It’s a bowling friendly wicket and they need at least 160-170 to make a match of it. As of now, it looks difficult, unless of course Choudhary repeats his KKR heroics.
Bad powerplay for LSG. Markram is back in the dugout. Captain Rishabh Pant walks out after picking up an elbow injury off the bowling of Josh Hazlewood. LSG 35/1 after six overs. Now one knows why Rajat Patidar decided to have a bowl. The pitch has some bounce and it’s helping the hosts’ bowlers. Bhuvneshwar, Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar, all have done well in their overs.
RCB win the toss and decide to have a bowl at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Aussie pacer Josh Hazlewood is back in the team, and Jacob Duffy of New Zealand makes way for him. There is no change for LSG. It’s the same team that lost to Gujarat Titans. It may be noted there is no Kohli in the bowling XI, so that means he is likely to come as an impact player.
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