RCB are through to Qualifier 1 thanks to a spectacular knock from Jitesh Sharma. The stand-in skipper stepped up with the bat in hand and scored 85 runs in only 33 balls and played one of the best knocks in the history of the Indian Premier League.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are at 200/4 in 17 overs. Need 28 runs in 18 balls. Agarawal: 39* (21), Jitesh: 57* (25)
Digvesh Rathi dismissed Jitesh Sharma on the first ball of the 17th over, but it turned out that he had bowled a back-foot no-ball. To make matters worse, the free hit was smashed for a six by Jitesh, who reached his first half-century in the IPL.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are at 177/4 in 15 overs. Need 51 runs in 30 balls. Agarawal: 36* (18), Jitesh: 39* (15)
Jitesh Sharma is carrying his team on his shoulders with a pretty special knock. The stand-in skipper took Shahbaz Ahmed to the cleaners in the 15th over. He struck a couple of fours and a six in the over. Meanwhile, Mayank finished the over with another boundary to bring the asking rate to 10.2 runs per over.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are at 156/4 in 14 overs. Need 72 runs in 36 balls. Agarawal: 32* (17), Jitesh: 22* (10)
Will O’Rourke returned back to the attack and was once again pretty expensive. The Kiwi pacer was hit for a six and a four in a row by Jitesh Sharma. There was an opportunity to dismiss Jitesh via a run-out, but the pacer failed to collect the ball. The stand-in skipper would have to play a gem of an innings.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are at 132/4 in 12 overs. Need 96 runs in 48 balls. Agarawal: 25* (13), Jitesh: 5* (2)
Avesh Khan has reaped the rewards of an impressive over from Digvesh. The right-arm pacer came back into the attack and with RCB needing to push the ante, Kohli played one of his first aerial shots and was caught at long-off by Ayush Badoni.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are at 122/3 in 11 overs. Need 106 runs in 54 balls. Kohli: 54* (29), Agarawal: 20* (10)
After an expensive 18-run over, Digvesh Rathi was once again given the responsibility to bowl LSG back into the game. The leg-spinner did exactly what he was supposed to do and gave away only seven runs in the over.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are at 115/3 in 10 overs. Need 113 runs in 60 balls. Kohli: 53* (28), Agarawal: 14* (5)
Virat Kohli, with a sublime cover drive, reached his eighth fifty of the season. He struck Akash Singh for a four on the first ball of the 10th over to reach the milestone. In the ongoing season so far, RCB has gone on to win every run chase in which Kohli has scored a half-century. Mayank Agarawal also got going with three fours in a row on some poor deliveries by the left-arm pacer.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are at 97/3 in 9 overs. Need 131 runs in 66 balls. Kohli: 48* (26), Agarawal: 1* (1)
RCB have been rocked back massively by Will O’Rourke’s double-wicket over. Shahbaz Ahmed went back into attack and bowled a cheap over despite being hit for a four by Kohli. The asking rate has now jumped to close to 12 runs per over.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are at 90/3 in 8 overs. Need 138 runs in 72 balls. Kohli: 42* (21)
William O’Rourke, after conceding 22 runs in his first over, came back to bowl his second. The Kiwi pacer continued to be expensive and was struck for a six by Rajat Patidar before Kohli hit him for another boundary. However, he made up for the runs he gave with a timely wicket of Patidar and Liam Livingstone on the last two balls of the over.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are at 76/1 in 7 overs. Need 152 runs in 78 balls. Kohli: 37* (19), Patidar: 7* (4)
Digvesh Rathi is back into the attack right after the power play. The leg-spinner was a bit unlucky as an outside edge from Rajat Patidar went to the boundary fence.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are at 66/1 in 6 overs. Need 162 runs in 14 overs. Kohli: 33* (16), Patidar: 1* (1)
Akash Singh, after bowling the first over in the power play, returned to bowl the sixth over. He started the over with mixed speeds, including two off-pace deliveries to Virat Kohli. He put a lot of pressure on the two batters by giving a single off the first three balls. The left-arm pacer was rewarded for his efforts as he sent Phil Salt back to the pavilion with a slower short ball.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are at 50/0 in 4 overs. Need 178 runs in 16 overs. Salt: 26* (13), Kohli: 23* (11)
The Super Giants have turned to their spinners. After Digvesh Rathi, Shahbaz Ahmed has been introduced into the attack. The left-arm spinner was struck for a couple of fours by Phil Salt as he went for 11 runs.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are at 39/0 in 3 overs. Need 189 runs in 17 overs. Salt: 17* (9), Kohli: 21* (9)
After the first two overs from the pacers went for plenty of runs, Digvesh Rathi has been brought into the attack. He started the over quietly by giving only two runs on the first three balls. He was struck for a four by Salt on the fourth ball to make a dent in the over.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are at 31/0 in 2 overs. Need 197 runs in 18 overs. Salt: 10* (4), Kohli: 20* (8)
William O’Rourke shared the new ball and bowled the second over. Virat Kohli, after starting his knock with three dot balls, has woken up. He smashed a four off the last ball of the first over before hitting four fours in a row in the second over.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are at 9/0 in 1 over. Need 219 runs in 19 overs. Salt: 5* (2), Kohli: 4* (4)
Phil Salt got off the mark on the first ball with a solid four down the ground. Akash Singh, coming off as an impact sub, bowled the first over. In spite of being hit for a boundary, the left-arm pacer managed to close out over nicely by giving away five runs off the remaining balls.
Rishabh Pant has saved his best for the last match. The LSG skipper scored his second century in the IPL and has powered the Super Giants to a mammoth score of 227 runs. It was Mitchell Marsh who provided a great deal of support to his captain, but Pant stole all the limelight. What made the innings even more special was that on a night when LSG posted a huge score, their best batter, Nicholas Pooran, was hardly needed. Pant remained unbeaten till the end and ended up scoring 118 runs in only 61 balls.
Lucknow Super Giants are at 191/2 after 17 overs. Pant: 91* (50), Pooran: 5* (4)
Nuwan Thushara was the pick among the RCB bowlers on his debut for the franchise. The Sri Lankan pacer ended his spell quietly with only a seven-run over. He ended the night with figures of 1/26.
Lucknow Super Giants are at 184/2 after 16 overs. Pant: 89* (47), Pooran: 1* (1)
Finally, it is Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has provided a much-needed breakthrough for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The right-arm pacer returned to bowl his third over and was welcomed with a couple of sixes on the first two balls by Marsh. However, he responded by keeping the ball away from the right-hander and got the edge to dismiss the Aussie batter.
Lucknow Super Giants are at 164/1 after 15 overs. Marsh: 55* (34), Pant: 83* (45)
Rishabh Pant is eyeing a triple-digit score and has laid a great foundation for himself. The left-handed batter struck a six off the first ball of the 15th over. He smashed another maximum down the ground.
Jitesh Sharma has been pretty poor with his captaincy tonight. He took Krunal Pandya off the attack and replaced him with Shepherd after the left-arm spinner gave away only four runs in his previous over.
Lucknow Super Giants are at 149/1 after 14 overs. Marsh: 54* (32), Pant: 70* (41)
Mitchell Marsh reaches his sixth half-century of the season by depositing the second ball of the 14th over deep into the stands. It was a crucial over for the two teams after the previous over went for only four runs. However, LSG bounced back against Suyash Sharma. After Marsh’s six, it was Rishabh, who struck the leg spinner for a four and a six off consecutive deliveries.
Lucknow Super Giants are at 131/1 after 13 overs. Marsh: 47* (29), Pant: 59* (37)
Krunal Pandya, after bowling his first over in the power play, came back into the attack in the 13th over. The left-arm spinner, in spite of bowling a couple of full tosses and a delivery in the slot area, was pretty economical.
Lucknow Super Giants are at 127/1 after 12 overs. Marsh: 45* (27), Pant: 58* (34)
Shepherd, bowling his second over, started on a great note, conceding only a couple of runs in the first three balls. However, Marsh flicked him for a four and a six off consecutive deliveries to end the over in favour of LSG.
Lucknow Super Giants are at 114/1 after 11 overs. Marsh: 33* (23), Pant: 57* (32)
Yash Dayal has not been able to control the flow of the runs. After conceding 18 runs in his first over, the left-arm pacer was struck for a four on the first ball of the 11th over. Pant ended the over with another flat-bat pull to collect his sixth four. The over proved to be pretty expensive and went for 14 runs.
Lucknow Super Giants are at 100/1 after 10 overs. Marsh: 26* (19), Pant: 52* (30)
Rishabh Pant scores his second half-century of the season. The left-handed batter struck a huge six down the ground on the first ball of the tenth over. There were another couple of fours in the over by the LSG skipper.
Lucknow Super Giants are at 84/1 after 9 overs. Marsh: 26* (19), Pant: 36* (24)
Romario Shepherd was given the chance to bowl the ninth over. He was greeted into the attack with a six from Mitchell Marsh on the third ball of the over. It was a short delivery that sat up nicely to be pulled into the stands.
Lucknow Super Giants are at 73/1 after 8 overs. Marsh: 19* (16), Pant: 34* (21)
Suyash Sharma came on to bowl the eighth over and was pretty accurate with his lines and lengths. His first over went for only six runs without any boundaries.
Lucknow Super Giants are at 68/1 after 7 overs. Marsh: 17* (13), Pant: 31* (18)
Rishabh Pant is looking at his best tonight against RCB. After taking the attack against Yash Dayal in the fourth over, the LSG skipper slowed down a bit. However, he made sure to carry the positive intent after the power play. He struck a six and a four against Bhuvneshwar Kumar to end the seventh over on a high note.
Lucknow Super Giants are at 55/1 after 6 overs. Marsh: 15* (11), Pant: 20* (14)
Nuwan Thushara bowled his third over inside the power play. The Sri Lankan pacer has been the most impressive bowler tonight for the visitors. He started his third over with three dots. He bowled a no-ball, a waist-high full toss. The free hit went for a top-edge four from Marsh.
Lucknow Super Giants are at 48/1 after 5 overs. Marsh: 10* (8), Pant: 19* (10)
Finally, Bhuvneshwar Kumar gets the ball in his hand. The right-arm pacer, who is used to bowling the first over, was brought into the attack in the fifth over by Jitesh Sharma. It was a great over from the local boy, which went for only four runs.
Lucknow Super Giants are at 44/1 after 4 overs. Marsh: 7* (4), Pant: 19* (8)
Rishabh Pant walked in to bat at number three ahead of Nicholas Pooran. The LSG skipper has gotten off to a great start. He struck a six on the second ball of the fourth over against Yash Dayal. He played a slash over backward point for hitting another four. The third boundary came in the form of a flat-bat pull that went straight down the ground.
Lucknow Super Giants are at 26/1 after 3 overs. Marsh: 7* (4), Pant: 1* (2)
Thushara once again bowled a fine over. After starting the over with a couple of off-pace deliveries, the Sri Lankan pacer bowled a searing bouncer. The ball bounced off Breetzke’s helmet and went to the boundary. After being hit for a four, he bounced back strongly with a full delivery that shaped away from the right-handed batter and rattled the stumps.
Lucknow Super Giants are at 21/0 after 2 overs. Marsh: 7* (4), Breetzke: 14* (8)
Surprisingly, it is not Bhuvneshwar Kumar who bowled the second over. Krunal Pandya shared the new ball on his former home ground. He was welcomed into the attack with a six from Breetzke.
Lucknow Super Giants are at 11/0 after 1 over. Marsh: 6* (3), Breetzke: 5* (3)
Nuwan Thushara, making his debut for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, bowled the first over. The right-arm pacer has a slinky action similar to the likes of Lasith Malinga and Matheesha Pathirana. He was right on the money and even on the third ball, where he conceded a boundary via an outside edge. The bowling team even wasted a review on just the fourth ball while challenging an LBW call against Mitchell Marsh. Another IPL debutant, Matthew Breetzke ended the over with a four.
RCB won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Breetzke, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (C and wk), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Avesh Khan, William O'Rourke
Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarawal, Rajat Patidar, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (C and wk), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara
Lucknow Super Giants are coming into this game after a great win against the Gujarat Titans in the previous game. There would be at least one change in the XI with Akash Singh injuring his right hand. Digvesh Singh Rathi, who has been unarguably their best bowler, will be back in the side. The leg-spinner missed out on the previous after being handed a one-match ban. Aiden Markram has left to prepare for the World Test Championship and will not be available for this match. He could be replaced by either Aryan Juyal or Arshin Kulkarni.
In the Royal Challengers Bengaluru camp, there is a major injury concern with Tim David injuring his hamstring. He did so while fielding in the first innings in the previous game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Josh Hazlewood, who returned to India will be expected to expected to make it back in the side in the place of Lungi Ngidi. If Hazlewood remains on the sidelines, Blessing Muzarabani, who is Ngidi’s replacement can make his IPL debut. If David sits out, Liam Livingstone will be back in the team.
Mitchell Marsh, Aryan Juyal/Arshin Kulkarni, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (C and wk), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Shahbaz Ahmed, Digvesh Singh Rathi, William O'Rourke
Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarawal, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma (C and wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood/Blessing Muzarabani, Suyash Sharma
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