Mitchell Marsh dazzled with the bat while Prince Yadav shone with the ball as LSG upstaged RCB by 9 runs in a rain-affected game in Lucknow. Mitchell Marsh was the star as his superlative ton set up the contest. Put into bat first, Marsh showed his class and scored his second IPL hundred, and others played around him as LSG posted 209/3 in 19 overs, where rain interrupted the innings twice.
In reply, the opening bowlers ran through the RCB top order. While some resisted it, others were petrified of RCB’s functioning. Prince Yadav picked up 3 wickets, while others chipped in as Shahbaz too picked up 2 wickets as well. Rajat Patidar’s sensational innings of 61 runs went in vain as RCB missed out on top spot and will remain in second place.
Mitchell Marsh’s sparkling ton powers LSG to 209/3 in 19 overs
Put into bat first in what turned out to be a rain-curtailed contest, Mitchell Marsh and Arshin Kulkarni came out to bat for LSG while Bhuvneshwar Kumar had the ball in hand for RCB. It was the Mitchell Marsh show from the get-go. Kulkarni had a torrid time out there as he struggled for timing and runs. But Marsh was brutal as he tore Josh Hazlewood and others apart.
Marsh dominated the power play and got to his fifty in 20 balls. When the power play ended, LSG were 68/0 in 6 overs with Marsh past his fifty. The duo continued post the power play as they maintained a steady run rate as the opening duo put on 95 for the first wicket in 9.2 overs as Kulkarni fell for a struggling 17 off 24 balls with one boundary to his name to Krunal Pandya. Nicholas Pooran came out to bat next.
Pooran started well, but Marsh was just too good in his element. Marsh soon completed a special 2nd IPL ton for himself, which was much-needed for his team as well. He got to his milestone in 49 balls. Pooran showed his class and looked good out there supporting Marsh. The duo put on 70 for the second wicket before Marsh perished for 111 off 56 balls with 9 fours and 9 sixes to his name to Hazlewood.
Rishabh Pant, the captain, came out to bat next. Pant started things off really well and made his intentions clear. There was a rain interruption after 9 overs and then after 14 overs, after which the match was reduced to 19 overs a side. With wickets in hand, the last five overs went for a bit around 64 runs. Pant and Pooran added 29 runs for the third wicket before Pooran fell for 38 off 23 balls with 4 fours and one six to his name to Rasikh Salam.
Aiden Markram came out to bat next and got off the mark. Pant decided to finish things off in style as he hit a couple of boundaries in a row and then hit a lovely maximum, a reverse hit over third man to end things as LSG finished with a massive 209/3 in 20 overs. Pant was unbeaten on 32 off 10 balls while Aiden Markram was unbeaten on 1 off 1 ball. The side gave 10 extras.
For RCB bowlers, it was a mixed day with the ball in hand. Krunal Pandya finished with 1/31 in 4 overs. Josh Hazlewood finished with 1/49 in 4 overs. Rasikh Salam finished with 1/53 in 4 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar finished with 0/34 in 4 overs. Suyash Sharma finished with 0/21 in 2 overs. Romario Shepherd finished with 0/16 in 1 over. This meant that RCB’s target was revised and it was set at 213 in 19 overs.
Prince Yadav’s 3-wicket haul helps LSG stave off RCB by 9 runs under the DLS method
Chasing a revised target of 213 for the win in 19 overs, Jacob Bethell and Virat Kohli came out to bat for RCB while Mohammed Shami had the ball in hand for LSG. Bethell managed to get a boundary away as 9 runs were added by the opening duo before Bethell fell for 4 off 5 balls with one boundary to his name to Mohammed Shami. Devdutt Padikkal came out to bat next. The score remained at 9 when Virat was cleaned up by Prince Yadav for a silver duck. Captain Rajat Patidar came out to bat next.
Padikkal and Patidar got together and forged the partnership that brought RCB back in the contest. Patidar looked in great touch while Padikkal played his shots and took on the role of a second fiddle. Patidar was batting on a different pitch, it seemed. Till he and Padikkal were batting, RCB looked to have the measure of this contest, and LSG felt the pinch. They played through the power play and through the middle phase as well. The duo added 95 runs for the third wicket before Padikkal fell for 34 off 25 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name to Prince Yadav. Jitesh Sharma came out to bat next.
Jitesh came and went quickly. Just 2 runs were added to the score before Jitesh fell for 1 off 3 balls to Prince Yadav. Impact Player Tim David came out to bat next. Patidar and David added 6 runs to the scoreboard before Patidar fell for a well-made 61 off 31 balls with 3 fours and 6 sixes to his name to Shahbaz Ahmed. Krunal Pandya came out to bat next.
David, playing as an Impact Player, teed off and made an immediate impact. David too brought RCB back in the game and was hitting the bowlers to all parts of the ground. Krunal also complemented him really well. The duo scored a valuable 46 runs for the 6th wicket and looked good to carry on with more runs before David was dismissed for 40 off 17 balls with 4 fours and 3 sixes to his name, to Shahbaz. Romario Shepherd came with about 4 overs to spare in the innings.
Krunal and Shepherd tried their best to take RCB over the line in the end overs but were found wanting. Both made sure that RCB did not lose further wickets, but also couldn’t quite get over the line. Krunal played his shots, and so did Shepherd. But LSG had the measure of proceedings out there. The equation boiled down to 33 needed off 12 balls and then 20 off 6 balls. It was left to Digvesh Rathi to bowl the final over of the contest. He just about defended the score as Shepherd failed to get the hits going in the final over.
Krunal remained unbeaten on 28 off 16 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to his name, while Shepherd remained unbeaten on 23 off 15 balls with 3 fours and 1 six to his name. 12 extras given by the fielding side. RCB finished with 203/6 in 20 overs.
LSG bowlers bowled well and held their nerves in the end. Prince Yadav was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/33 in 4 overs. Shahbaz Ahmed chipped in with 2/33 in 3 overs. Mohammed Shami finished with 1/33 in 4 overs. Impact Player Mayank Yadav gave away 50 runs in 4 overs. Digvesh Rathi finished with 0/50 in 4 overs. So, LSG beat RCB by 9 runs under the DLS method. Mitchell Marsh was awarded the Player of the Match award.
What Lies Ahead
So, LSG win this game to keep their slim hopes alive. They next face CSK on Sunday in Chennai in the afternoon in Chennai. RCB next faces MI in Raipur in a crucial clash. Tomorrow’s match is also very crucial. It’s DC hosting KKR in New Delhi. Both are in a must-win situation in this clash for sure.
Let’s see how this match pans out on Friday night.
Also Read: LSG VS RCB: Mitchell Marsh’s Superlative Ton Powers LSG To 209/3.