Lucknow, May 7 (PTI): Mitchell Marsh smashed a blistering century while Prince Yadav dazzled with the ball as Lucknow Super Giants kept themselves alive in the IPL playoff race with a nervy nine-run DLS win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their rain-curtailed clash here on Thursday.
With as many as three rain interruptions causing close to an hour’s delay, the contest was eventually reduced to 19 overs per side.
The win helped LSG snap a six-match losing streak while also handing them their first victory at home this season.
Invited to bat, Marsh (111 off 56 balls ) unleashed a ferocious century before repeated rain breaks disrupted LSG’s momentum as they posted 209 for 3. However, the target was revised to 213 after one over was lost due to rain.
LSG bowlers, led by Prince (3/33), then held their nerve to restrict the defending champions to 203 for 6.
Veteran seamer Mohammed Shami provided LSG the perfect start by striking in the opening over, inducing an outside edge from Jacob Bethell to dismiss the opener early.
Three balls later, Prince Yadav produced a sensational delivery to bamboozle Virat Kohli. The 140-kmph ball nipped back to crash into Kohli’s middle and off stump. It marked Kohli’s first IPL duck since a first-ball dismissal against Rajasthan Royals in April 2023.
Reeling at 9 for 2, Devdutt Padikkal (34) and skipper Rajat Patidar (61) launched a spirited recovery. The pair kept the scoreboard moving with boundaries almost every over before Patidar shifted gears dramatically, taking apart Digvesh Rathi and Mayank Yadav with a series of towering sixes.
The duo stitched together a 95-run stand for the third wicket, with Patidar producing some breathtaking strokeplay that briefly wrested momentum back in RCB’s favour.
Just when the game appeared to be slipping away, LSG skipper Pant brought Prince back into the attack, and the move paid immediate dividends.
The pacer dismissed Padikkal off the very first ball of the over with a sharp caught-and-bowled effort before removing Jitesh Sharma soon after.
Patidar followed four balls later as Aiden Markram completed a fine running catch, triggering a mini collapse as RCB lost three wickets in quick succession.
Tim David, Krunal Pandya (28 not out) and Romario Shepherd (23 not out) kept the chase alive with late blows, but Digvesh held his nerve superbly to defend 20 runs in the final over.
Earlier, Marsh put on a breathtaking display of power-hitting, stitching a 95-run opening stand with Arshin Kulkarni (17) to lay the platform for LSG’s explosive start, before adding another 70 runs with Nicholas Pooran (38).
Skipper Rishabh Pant then blazed away to 32 not out off 10 deliveries to provide the final flourish.
The Australian opener looked ominous from the outset, unleashing a barrage of clean strikes all around the ground. His 56-ball knock was laced with nine fours and as many sixes, most of which came in the powerplay.
With LSG’s playoff hopes hanging by a thread, Marsh came out all guns blazing after being asked to bat, taking apart the RCB attack with ruthless aggression.
Josh Hazlewood bore the brunt of the early carnage as Marsh launched two towering sixes straight over his head before following it up with three boundaries in the pacer’s next over.
Marsh’s attack forced RCB to introduce Rasikh Dar as early as the fifth over, but the move did little to stem the flow of runs.
The burly Australian continued his onslaught, hammering back-to-back sixes before adding a boundary for good measure. He raced to his fastest IPL fifty, reaching the milestone in just 20 balls, and dominated the scoring as LSG raced to 95/0 in nine overs.
However, LSG’s momentum was briefly disrupted by a 30-minute rain interruption, after which Krunal Pandya ended Kulkarni’s scratchy stay at the crease.
New batter Pooran wasted no time as he crunched Rasikh for back-to-back boundaries, while Marsh brought up his century with consecutive fours before launching a thunderous six over cover point just as rain halted play for the third time.
Marsh was dropped by Devdutt Padikkal on 110 but could not make full use of the reprieve, eventually falling to Hazlewood at deep point.
With Marsh gone it was time for the Pant show as the captain smacked four fours and two sixes. PTI APA ATK
(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)
