AI Simulation, LSG vs RCB | Lucknow Super Giants score thrilling win to push Royal Challengers Bengaluru out of top two in IPL 2025

‌Pitch & Weather

A dry, black-soil surface offered grip for spinners but true bounce assisted the stroke-makers early on in the innings. It was a warm and humid evening with a light breeze and temperatures around the 33-degree mark. Spinners had a tough time with the late evening dew coming on in the second innings.

Toss & Conditions

Lucknow Super Giants won the toss and elected to bat first.

Lineups

LSG: Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, Digvesh Rathi, Will O’Rourke, Shahbaz Ahmed

RCB: Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Mayank Agarwal, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma

Match Report

Lucknow Super Giants held their nerve to defeat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 6 runs in a thrilling finish that went down to the final ball in the last group game of IPL 2025 at the Ekana Stadium. LSG’s batting was headlined by a fluent Mitchell Marsh fifty, while Will O’Rourke’s clutch death-over spell sealed the game ending RCB’s hopes of a top-two finish in the points table.

After opting to bat first, opener Aiden Markram started cautiously as he anchored the innings and rotated strike efficiently while Mitchell Marsh was the aggressor continuing from where he left off in the last match against Gujarat Titans. With an excellent foundation, Nicholas Pooran started off in familiar fashion after Markram was dismissed for a 29-ball 41 in the 10th over. But Krunal Pandya dismissed the southpaw to pull things back but Marsh continued with his big-hitting at the other end. His 72 off 43 balls and an enterprising cameo from Ayush Badoni meant LSG finished on a high at 198/7 in their allotted 20 overs despite a disciplined death-bowling effort from Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The Aussie pacer, on his return, was RCB’s best bowler with figures of 2/29 in four overs while Krunal Pandya also ended with two wickets.

RCB’s chase started brightly with Kohli and Salt adding 32 in the first three overs. But Salt’s dismissal triggered a collapse for RCB with Digvesh Rathi picking up two wickets in a single over to turn the tide in the home team’s favour. Kohli, however, continued unabated at the other end, reaching his eighth fifty in IPL 2025 off just 32 balls. His crucial partnership with Tim David saw the visitors slowly finding their way back into the match. The Australian batter shifted gears, after Kohli’s dismissal, and threatened to turn the match on its head with a flurry of sixes. His 24-ball 44, which included three sixes and four fours, brought the equation down to 20 off 12 balls. However, O’Rourke’s penultimate over saw the dismissal of David and Romario Shepherd, derailing RCB's momentum. Avesh Khan held firm in the final over, defending 12 with calm nerves and variations.

Player of the Match

LSG’s Mitchell Marsh was declared the Player of the Match for top-scoring in the contest with a 43-ball 72 and powering the side to a formidable total in the first innings. His innings was studded with four sixes and six fours and turned out to be the difference between the two sides in the end.

Scorecard