Mitchell Marsh took the attack to the RCB bowlers from the word go.
| Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap
Lucknow Super Giants kept its IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive with a thrilling nine-run win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Ekana Stadium here on Thursday.
The victory was set up by a brutal century from Mitchell Marsh, who scored his second IPL ton off just 49 deliveries, as well as Prince Yadav’s inspired spell.
Rain breaks
After LSG was put in, play was interrupted by the first of three showers just nine balls in. That window was enough for Marsh (111, 56b, 9×4, 9×6) to announce himself with a towering six over long-off against Josh Hazlewood, and he lost no rhythm thereafter.
Cashing in
The Ekana Stadium has been bowler-friendly but Thursday’s track was more placid. 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.
After Marsh’s pyrotechnics had come to a close, Nicholas Pooran and Rishabh Pant brought the innings to a close on 209 for three in 19 overs with a flurry of boundaries.
RCB, chasing a revised target of 213, started poorly, thanks to Prince, who went from zero to hero. Four deliveries into the opening over, he fumbled a regulation take at deep third, but recovered spectacularly to hold onto a swirling miscue off Jacob Bethell’s bat next ball.
Taking the new ball from the other end, he then ended Virat Kohli’s stay after just two balls with a peach that pitched outside off before nipping in to take off-stump.
RCB captain Rajat Patidar (61, 31b, 3×4, 6×6) and Devdutt Padikkal mounted a resistance of 95, but the golden arm of Prince broke through again, inducing Padikkal to chip a return catch before bouncing out Jitesh in the same over.
The double strike led Pant to gamble on introducing Shahbaz Ahmed, and it paid dividends as Patidar holed out to long-off.
Tim David, Krunal Pandya, and Romario Shepherd were able to get the game down to 20 runs from the final over.
Digvesh does the job
But Digvesh Rathi held his nerve to get LSG over the line for its first home win of the season. It also ended a six-match losing streak.
Published – May 07, 2026 10:42 pm IST
