Rasikh Dar was the pick of the bowlers for RCB, finishing with four for 24. | Photo Credit: AP

Royal Challengers Bengaluru sauntered to its fourth victory in five matches this IPL season, beating Lucknow Super Giants by five wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Wednesday.

Chasing a modest 147, RCB got home with nearly five overs to spare to go top of the table. Virat Kohli (49, 34b, 6x4, 1x6), who came in as an Impact Player, scored the most, but it was captain Rajat Patidar’s two breath-taking sixes off Mohammed Shami – over long-on and above fine-leg – that will remain long in memory.

By T20 standards, much of the contest was slow-burn. The hitting was not manic, the atmosphere not so frenzied, and the 29,000 odd fans did not have as many moments as they usually would to let out the gasps and whoops.

But even that will not help LSG from feeling tarred and feathered, as it came up with another abject batting effort. It will also feel knackered, for Rishabh Pant, hit on his left elbow by Josh Hazlewood while batting, did not come out to keep.

After Patidar asked the visitors to bat, LSG started gingerly, scoring just 16 runs from the first 17 balls. When Mitchell Marsh hit the last delivery of the third over – from Bhuvneshwar Kumar – onto the roof over square-leg, it was expected to have an unshackling effect.

What followed was the exact opposite. Aiden Markram was out in bizarre fashion, caught at cover off a full toss down the leg-side by Rasikh Salam. Pant retired hurt off the third ball he faced, and Nicholas Pooran’s wretched run continued (1, 7b) as the excellent Hazlewood (4-0-20-1) forced him to play on.

ALSO READ: IPL 2026: Under-fire Mumbai Indians to be tested by high-flying Punjab Kings

Ayush Badoni (38, 24b, 4x4, 1x6) and Marsh (40, 32b, 3x4, 2x6) combined for 36 runs but run-rate was nowhere near satisfactory. And in the 10th over, when Marsh played Krunal Pandya on, LSG had reached just 71.

Badoni was involved in another mini rescue-act with Mukul Choudhury (39, 28b, 3x4, 2x6), but a sharp catch from wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma ended the former’s stay.

Pant bravely came out to bat but did not last long, caught as he was by a diving Phil Salt at the square-leg boundary. That was Pant’s last act on the field, and he found little joy in the dressing room too.

Published on Apr 15, 2026