Lucknow Super Giants kept its IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive with a thrilling nine-run win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a rain-hit clash at the Ekana Stadium here on Thursday.
The victory was set up by a brutal 111 from Mitchell Marsh, who scored his second IPL ton from just 49 deliveries, before 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 first of three showers just nine balls in. That window was time enough for Marsh (111, 56b, 9x4, 9x6) to announce himself at the crease with a towering six over long-off against Josh Hazlewood, and he lost no rhythm post the resumption.
HIGHLIGHTS - LSG vs RCB
The Ekana Stadium has been bowler-friendly in this IPL, but Thursday’s offering was more placid, and the powerful Australian cashed in, taking toll of the fuller lengths and width provided by the RCB bowlers to particularly devastating effect through the offside.
His brisk scoring was all the better given that his opening partner, Arshin Kulkarni – who became LSG’s sixth opener of the season after replacing Josh Inglis – was struggling. He laboured at under run-a-ball, failing to pick the gaps in the in-field, and fell shortly after the second rain break, drilling Krunal Pandya to extra-cover.
Nicholas Pooran, who had returned to form in LSG’s last match, took his place and got a pair of dextrously guided boundaries away on the offside against Rasikh Dar to settle into a rhythm.
Marsh also continued on his merry way and reached three figures with a majestic drive through extra-cover off Romario Shepherd just two balls before inclement weather played spoilsport for a third time.
Prince Yadav’s incisive spell proved too good for the RCB batters. | Photo Credit: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP
Prince Yadav’s incisive spell proved too good for the RCB batters. | Photo Credit: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP
Marsh picked out deep point soon after the restart, while Pooran too struck a few blows before holing out in the final over. The onus thus fell on skipper Rishabh Pant to close out the innings, and he did so with a characteristically acrobatic cameo of 32 from just 10 balls.
RCB’s rain-adjusted chase of 213 seemed over before it had started, thanks to the intervention of Prince, who went from zero to hero in the space of four balls. Four legal deliveries into Mohammad Shami’s opening over, Prince fumbled a rudimentary collection at deep third to concede four, but recovered spectacularly to hold onto a swirling miscue off the bat of Jacob Bethell.
He then took the new ball from the other end and ended Virat Kohli’s eagerly anticipated stay after just two balls with a peach that pitched outside off before nipping in to send the off-stump flying.
RCB captain Rajat Patidar (61, 31b, 3x4, 6x6) and Devdutt Padikkal then mounted a resistance of 95 from 53 balls to keep the match going. Padikkal was the initial aggressor, wresting some momentum back with some attractive strokes, while Patidar bided his time before launching a series of stylish sixes against Mayank Yadav and Digvesh Rathi to raise a 26-ball fifty.
However, it was the golden arm of Prince that broke through again, inducing Padikkal to chip a return catch before dismissing Jitesh Sharma with the short ball in the same over.
The double-strike led Pant to gamble on introducing Shahbaz Ahmed, and it paid dividends as Patidar drilled him into the hands of long-off. Tim David (40, 17b, 4x4, 3x6) threatened to make things interesting with a series of long blows, but sliced Shahbaz to backward-point.
Krunal Pandya and Romario Shepherd got enough boundaries away to get RCB to the final over, and with the seamers bowled out, the responsibility of defending 20 fell to Digvesh. He had gone for 41 in three overs till then, but held his nerve to get his side over the line, and secure LSG its first win at the Ekana Stadium this year.
Published on May 08, 2026