Lucknow Tremendous Giants stored its IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive with an exciting nine-run win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a rain-hit conflict on the Ekana Stadium right here on Thursday.
The victory was arrange by a brutal 111 from Mitchell Marsh, who scored his second IPL ton from simply 49 deliveries, earlier than an incisive spell from Prince Yadav proved too good for the RCB batters.
After Rajat Patidar invited the host to bat, play was interrupted by the primary of three showers simply 9 balls in. That window was time sufficient for Marsh (111, 56b, 9×4, 9×6) to announce himself on the crease with a towering six over long-off in opposition to Josh Hazlewood, and he misplaced no rhythm submit the resumption.
HIGHLIGHTS – LSG vs RCB
The Ekana Stadium has been bowler-friendly on this IPL, however Thursday’s providing was extra placid, and the highly effective Australian cashed in, taking toll of the fuller lengths and width offered by the RCB bowlers to notably devastating impact by the offside.
His brisk scoring was all the higher provided that his opening companion, Arshin Kulkarni – who turned LSG’s sixth opener of the season after changing Josh Inglis – was struggling. He laboured at beneath run-a-ball, failing to choose the gaps within the in-field, and fell shortly after the second rain break, drilling Krunal Pandya to extra-cover.
Nicholas Pooran, who had returned to kind in LSG’s final match, took his place and acquired a pair of dextrously guided boundaries away on the offside in opposition to Rasikh Dar to settle right into a rhythm.
Marsh additionally continued on his merry means and reached three figures with an impressive drive by extra-cover off Romario Shepherd simply two balls earlier than inclement climate performed spoilsport for a 3rd time.
Prince Yadav’s incisive spell proved too good for the RCB batters.
| Picture Credit score:
SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP
Prince Yadav’s incisive spell proved too good for the RCB batters.
| Picture Credit score:
SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP
Marsh picked out deep level quickly after the restart, whereas Pooran too struck a couple of blows earlier than holing out within the closing over. The onus thus fell on skipper Rishabh Pant to shut out the innings, and he did so with a characteristically acrobatic cameo of 32 from simply 10 balls.
RCB’s rain-adjusted chase of 213 appeared over earlier than it had began, due to the intervention of Prince, who went from zero to hero within the area of 4 balls. 4 authorized deliveries into Mohammad Shami’s opening over, Prince fumbled a rudimentary assortment at deep third to concede 4, however recovered spectacularly to carry onto a swirling miscue off the bat of Jacob Bethell.
He then took the brand new ball from the opposite finish and ended Virat Kohli’s eagerly anticipated keep after simply two balls with a peach that pitched exterior off earlier than nipping in to ship the off-stump flying.
RCB captain Rajat Patidar (61, 31b, 3×4, 6×6) and Devdutt Padikkal then mounted a resistance of 95 from 53 balls to maintain the match going. Padikkal was the preliminary aggressor, wresting some momentum again with some enticing strokes, whereas Patidar bided his time earlier than launching a collection of trendy sixes in opposition to Mayank Yadav and Digvesh Rathi to lift a 26-ball fifty.
Nevertheless, it was the golden arm of Prince that broke by once more, inducing Padikkal to chip a return catch earlier than dismissing Jitesh Sharma with the brief ball in the identical over.
The double-strike led Pant to gamble on introducing Shahbaz Ahmed, and it paid dividends as Patidar drilled him into the fingers of long-off. Tim David (40, 17b, 4×4, 3×6) threatened to make issues fascinating with a collection of lengthy blows, however sliced Shahbaz to backward-point.
Krunal Pandya and Romario Shepherd acquired sufficient boundaries away to get RCB to the ultimate over, and with the seamers bowled out, the duty of defending 20 fell to Digvesh. He had gone for 41 in three overs until then, however held his nerve to get his facet over the road, and safe LSG its first win on the Ekana Stadium this yr.
Revealed on Might 08, 2026