In an exciting last-over thriller in Bangalore, Lucknow Super Giants achieved a sensational run chase to hand Royal Challengers Bangalore their second consecutive defeat of the 2023 IPL season. Despite the challenging total set by the home team in their first innings, courtesy of half-centuries from Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, and Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stonis and Nicholas Pooran’s remarkable performances led LSG to the top of the IPL 2023 points table.
The visitors faced a daunting target and suffered a setback as hard-hitting opener Kyle Mayers was dismissed for a duck in the very first over. Things went from bad to worse for the tourists as Wayne Parnell, playing in his first IPL match since 2014, took out Deepak Hooda and Krunal Pandya in his very first over.
LSG found themselves in trouble with skipper KL Rahul running out of partners, but the game changed thanks to a blistering assault from Marcus Stoinis. The star Australian all-rounder attacked RCB’s slower bowlers and smashed 65 runs in just 30 deliveries.
Although LSG was in control, the hosts hit back with quick wickets of Stonis and Rahul, derailing their chase. However, LSG’s star wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran put on a breathtaking assault that included a 15-ball half-century, the fastest of IPL 2023 and joint second-fastest in IPL history, deflating the RCB bowlers.
Pooran was dismissed by returning bowler Mohammed Siraj in the 17th over, setting up a tense finale. Ayush Badoni’s cameo at the end brought LSG to the brink of victory, eventually securing a dramatic win in the final over.
The local hero, KL Rahul, won the toss and chose to field first on a fantastic batting wicket in Chinnaswamy. However, his decision backfired as the home side got off to a solid start with a quick opening partnership between star batsmen Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis.
Although the RCB skipper initially struggled with timing, Kohli registered a brisk half-century, his second of the tournament, ensuring an excellent powerplay for the Men in Red and Gold. However, Kohli’s dismissal shifted momentum in favor of the visitors during the middle overs.
The Lucknow-based team planned to restrict RCB to less than 200 runs on the board, as the seven overs after the powerplay yielded only 48 runs. But their hopes were short-lived when Glenn Maxwell’s blistering innings ignited a spark in his captain. Faf and Maxwell formed an incredible partnership, and RCB milked a staggering 108 runs in the last seven overs of the first innings, thanks to half-centuries from Maxwell and his skipper.