In a captivating encounter between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), the tides turned drastically from their previous encounter, where a whopping 425 runs were scored in a mere 40 overs on a batting-friendly wicket. However, on Monday night, LSG set a black-soil pitch at their home ground, causing the ball to grip and hold onto the surface, resulting in only 234 runs being scored in 39.5 overs. Nevertheless, RCB emerged victorious, edging out LSG by 18 runs in a hard-fought battle.
Opting to bat first, Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli forged a steady partnership of 62 runs in nine overs, but their innings failed to accelerate. The spin trio of Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, and Amit Mishra, accompanied by the off-spinning prowess of K Gowtham, weaved their magic, bowling 13 overs of spin and securing five crucial wickets, conceding a mere 73 runs. Naveen-ul-Haq utilized his cutters to great effect and scalped three wickets in the death overs, restricting RCB to a modest 126 for 9.
In response, LSG got off to a nightmarish start, losing five wickets for just 38 runs in the first seven overs. With Marcus Stoinis and K Gowtham’s dismissals in quick succession, LSG found themselves struggling at 77 for 8. At this point, KL Rahul was their only hope, but he had injured his right leg in the second over of the game and had to hobble off the field. However, with LSG requiring 24 runs off just eight balls, Rahul emerged to the crease at number 11.
It was evident that Rahul was in no condition to run between the wickets, and he resorted to playing three consecutive dot balls, one of which was a free hit. Mishra attempted to score 23 runs in the final over but failed, and LSG fell short. of the target, allowing RCB to clinch an impressive win.
After tonight’s defeat, LSG have dropped by one spot and are now in the 3rd position in the Points Table. They have 10 points in 9 games with 5 wins and 4 losses. RCB also have 10 points but are at the 5th spot because of their Net Run Rate (NRR). It is worth noting that teams from position 2 to position 6 all have 10 points but differ in position because of their NRR.
Here’s the updated points table after LSG vs RCB Match 43:
| Rank | Teams | Matches | Won | Lost | No Results | points | NRR |
| 1. | Gujarat Titans | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 12 | +0.638 |
| 2. | Rajasthan Royals | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 10 | +0.800 |
| 3. | Lucknow Super Giants | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 10 | +0.639 |
| 4. | Chennai Super Kings | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 10 | +0.329 |
| 5. | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 10 | -0.030 |
| 6. | Punjab Kings | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 10 | -0.447 |
| 7. | Mumbai Indians | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | -0.502 |
| 8. | Kolkata Knight Riders | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 6 | -0.147 |
| 8. | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | -0.577 |
| 10. | Delhi Capitals | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 | -0.898 |
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