Stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma played a blinder, smashing an unbeaten 85 off 42 balls, as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pulled off a stunning six-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to seal a berth in IPL 2025 Qualifier 1.
RCB will now face Punjab Kings in the Qualifier 1 clash at Mullanpur on Thursday, having finished second in the league standings with 19 points, level with PBKS but trailing slightly on net run rate (+0.30 to PBKS’ +0.37).
RCB’s Remarkable Chase of 228
Chasing a daunting 228-run target, RCB started in explosive fashion with Virat Kohli (54 off 30) and Phil Salt (30 off 19) adding 61 runs in just 5.4 overs. Kohli, batting fluently, raced to his fifty in 27 balls before falling to Avesh Khan, trying to clear long-off.
After a mini-collapse that saw Rajat Patidar and Liam Livingstone fall in quick succession, RCB found themselves in a tricky spot at 123/4 in 11.4 overs, still 103 runs adrift with the required run rate approaching 13.
But then came the match-defining partnership. Jitesh Sharma, leading the side in Patidar’s absence, and Mayank Agarwal (41 off 28)* stitched together an unbroken 107-run stand, powering RCB home with 8 balls to spare.
Jitesh survived two moments of fortune — first on 49 due to a no-ball and then on 57 when Rishabh Pant withdrew a run-out appeal. Taking full advantage, he unleashed a flurry of strokes, dominating the ‘V’ and sweeping effectively to the fine leg region.
Mayank provided calm support at the other end, threading gaps with precision using his trademark cuts and drives.
Fittingly, Jitesh sealed the win with three consecutive sixes off Will O’Rourke in the 18th over, underlining his authority on the match.
Pant’s Special Century in Vain
Earlier, Rishabh Pant produced a breathtaking innings — an unbeaten 118 off 61 balls (11×4, 8×6) — to take LSG to 227/3. It was Pant’s first century of the season and only the second of his IPL career, coming after seven long years.
Pant’s knock was filled with clean hitting and improved shot selection, a departure from his earlier struggles this season where he had a strike rate of just 107. He turned the tide with a blitz in the fourth over, taking 18 runs off Yash Dayal with a sequence of 6, 4, 4.
Batting alongside Mitchell Marsh (67 off 37), Pant shared a mammoth 152-run stand for the second wicket. Marsh, too, brought out his power game after a slow start, smashing his way past 600 runs for the season — his best-ever IPL campaign.
Marsh eventually edged Bhuvneshwar Kumar to the keeper, but Pant carried on, bringing up his hundred in 54 balls with a gorgeous lofted four over cover. He celebrated with a beaming smile and an acrobatic somersault.
He added another 49 runs with Nicholas Pooran for the third wicket, ensuring LSG posted a formidable total — though it ultimately proved insufficient.
Brief Scores:
Lucknow Super Giants: 227/3 in 20 overs
(Rishabh Pant 118 not out, Mitchell Marsh 67)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 230/4 in 18.4 overs
(Virat Kohli 54, Jitesh Sharma 85 not out, Mayank Agarwal 41 not out)
