Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) delivered a commanding performance to defeat Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by five wickets with 29 balls to spare, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday. The sluggish pitch with uneven bounce played into the hands of RCB’s varied bowling attack, helping the defending IPL champions register their fourth win in five matches and climb to the top of the points table.
RCB bowlers dominate on slow Chinnaswamy surface
The bowlers were the real architects of RCB’s victory. On a surface that offered grip and variable bounce, Rasikh Salam Dar stole the show with career-best figures of 4/24. The Jammu and Kashmir pacer cleverly mixed his pace, using slower deliveries and pinpoint yorkers to dismantle LSG’s lower order. Bhuvneshwar Kumar complemented him perfectly, picking up 3/27 and reaching a personal milestone as Krunal Pandya claimed his 100th IPL wicket.
Josh Hazlewood maintained his usual accuracy and bowled at an economy rate of 5, while Suyash Sharma extracted sharp turn even without taking wickets.
The disciplined bowling unit restricted Lucknow Super Giants to a modest 146 all out in 20 overs. Mitchell Marsh top-scored with 40 off 32 balls, while Mukul Choudhary 39 (28) and Ayush Badoni 38 (24) tried to rebuild, but the middle and death overs collapsed dramatically.
LSG batting stutters after early promise
LSG started brightly but lost momentum quickly. Aiden Markram fell to a leading edge off Rasikh, and Nicholas Pooran’s poor run continued as he dragged a short ball onto his stumps off Hazlewood. The biggest blow came when skipper Rishabh Pant retired hurt after being struck on the left elbow by a sharp short-pitched delivery from Hazlewood. Pant later returned briefly but was dismissed for just one run on a stunning catch by Phil Salt at deep mid-wicket. He did not take the field onwards, with Nicholas Pooran captaining in his absence and Mukul Choudhary keeping wickets.
Virat Kohli masterclass powers RCB chase
Chasing 147, RCB lost Phil Salt early but found their rhythm through Virat Kohli. The star batsman, coming in as an impact substitute after missing fielding due to a niggle from the previous game, took charge immediately. Kohli smashed 49 off 34 balls, including four boundaries in one over off Prince Yadav. His aggressive intent nullified the early setback and kept the required run rate under control.
Rajat Patidar 27 (13) and Jitesh Sharma 23 (9), along with Tim David 14 (8) and Romario Shepherd 14 (8) provided handy cameos as RCB cruised to 149/5 in just 15.1 overs. Prince Yadav claimed 3/32, and Avesh Khan took 2/23 for LSG, but their efforts proved insufficient against RCB’s confident batting display.
What’s next for RCB and LSG?
RCB will stay at home and face the Delhi Capitals in a day match on Saturday, April 18. Meanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants will travel to New Chandigarh to take on a strong Punjab Kings side on Sunday, April 19.
