Jitesh Sharma's 85-run blitz tops Pant's ton as RCB beat LSG, finish second in table

Stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma hammered a sensational unbeaten 85 and with Virat Kohli contributing 54, Royal Challengers Bengaluru scripted the third-highest run-chase to bushed Lucknow Super Giants by six wickets successful Match 70 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 astatine the Ekana Stadium present connected Tuesday. 

Jitesh, coming successful with RCB looking successful occupation with Virat Kohli backmost successful the dugout astatine 123/4, scored a scintillating maiden IPL half-century arsenic they reached 230/4 successful 18.4 overs to seal a memorable triumph that helped them decorativeness successful the 2nd presumption successful the points array with 19 points. With this victory, RCB acceptable up a Qualifier 1 clash with Punjab Kings portion Gujarat Titans volition conscionable Mumbai Indians successful the Eliminator match.

RCB had to equine their biggest tally pursuit connected Tuesday aft Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant hammered a superb century, indicating a invited instrumentality to signifier with a sensational unbeaten 118 that helped them station 227/3 successful 20 overs.

But Jitesh Sharma topped that with a mesmerizing effort arsenic helium remained unbeaten connected 85 disconnected 33 balls laced with 8 boundaries and six maximums. In comparison, Mayank Agarwal remained 41 not retired of 23 balls, arsenic they scripted history. Pant becoming the 2nd batter aft KL Rahul to extremity connected the losing broadside contempt scoring a century.

Chasing 228 for victory, Royal Challengers Bengaluru got disconnected to a superb commencement arsenic Phil Salt and Virat Kohli raised 61 runs for the archetypal wicket concern successful speedy time.

They came retired each firing connected each cylinders with Salt, who struck boundaries disconnected Shahbaz Ahmed and Digvesh Rathi, blasting 30 disconnected 19 balls, hitting six fours successful the process arsenic they reached 50 without hitting a six. Salt was the archetypal to get out, caught astatine screen disconnected Impact Substitute Akash Singh aft helium had survived an effort a fewer balls earlier.

Rajat Patidar, coming successful arsenic an Impact Sub, did not past for agelong and was retired for 14 (7 balls) to Will O’Rourke, who claimed Liam Livingstone connected the adjacent shot for a first-ball duck arsenic RCB slumped to 90/3.

Kohli was successful different portion arsenic helium went aft the bowling from the commencement and completed his half-century successful 27 balls, hitting 10 boundaries. This was his eighth 50 of the play and sixth successful a chase. In the process, Kohli besides completed 9000 runs successful the past of the IPL. Just erstwhile helium was looking bully for a century, Kohli was retired to a tame dismissal, lofting an casual drawback to Ayush Badoni disconnected Avesh Khan arsenic RCB slumped to 123/4.

It looked similar the RCB innings would autumn isolated with RCB needing 90 runs successful 7 overs. But stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma produced a superb show of power-hitting, reaching his half-century successful 22 balls arsenic they launched a superb pursuit and propelled their squad to a morale-boosting victory.

With 28 needed disconnected 18 balls, the shot was changed and Jitesh Sharma saw his accidental and changed the complexion of the lucifer successful the abstraction of six balls. He blasted 21 runs disconnected Will O’Rourke, hitting 2 fours and 2 large sixes, disconnected successive balls, to propulsion RCB clear.

The RCB skipper clinched triumph with a six disconnected Ayush Badoni, the 107-run concern betwixt Jitesh Sharma and Mayank Agarwal helping them publication history.

Earlier, asked to bat first, Lucknow Super Giants mislaid debutant Matthew Breetzke (14 disconnected 12, 1x4, 1x6) with 25 runs connected the board, Thushara castling him with a beauty.

However, skipper Rishabh Pant showed a invited instrumentality to signifier successful their past lucifer of the play arsenic helium joined Mitchell Marsh successful raising 142 runs for the 2nd wicket.

Pant looked successful his constituent arsenic helium started with a 2,6,2,4,0,4 blitz against Yash Dayal successful the 4th implicit and went from spot to spot from determination arsenic LSG reached 55/1 successful the power-play.

The wicket-keeper batter continued to flourish with a six and 4 disconnected successive balls against Bhuvneshwar Kumar successful the 5th over, a six followed by 2 fours successful the 10th disconnected Suyash Sharma, and a 4 and six disconnected successive balls against the aforesaid bowler successful the 1st arsenic helium raced to his half-century successful 29 balls.

Marsh, who has been the apical scorer for LSG this season, was arsenic bully astatine the different extremity arsenic helium raced past the 600-run people for the season, scoring his half-century successful 31 balls arsenic they reached the 150-run people successful their concern successful 85 balls.

Desperate to stem the tally flow, RCB skipper Jitesh Sharma brought Bhuvneshwar Kumar into the attack, but Marsh treated his instrumentality with sixes disconnected successive balls. However, the bowler had the past laughter arsenic helium induced an extracurricular borderline disconnected a scrambled seam transportation that landed afloat connected the sixth stump. Marsh attempted a loft again but edged it behind, retired 67 disconnected 37 balls studded with 4 fours and 5 sixes.

Pant continued to thrive and reached his 2nd period successful the Indian Premier League (IPL) successful 7 years arsenic helium blasted boundaries astatine will, reaching the three-figure people disconnected 54 balls.

Pant hammered 11 boundaries and 8 maximums for an unbeaten 118 disconnected 61 balls, batting successful the 3rd and 4th cogwheel passim the match. Nicholas Pooran scored 13 disconnected 10 balls and was retired successful the last implicit arsenic LSG acceptable up the biggest pursuit for RCB that Jitesh Sharma helped them ace with ease.

Brief scores:

Lucknow Super Giants 226/3 successful 20 overs (Rishabh Pant 118 not out, Mitchell Marsh 67; Nuwan Thushara 1-26, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1-44) mislaid to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 230/4 successful 18.4 overs (Virat Kohli 54, Jitesh Sharma 85 not out, Mayank Agarwal 41 not out; Will O’Rourke 2-74) by six wickets.

(This communicative was taken from a syndicated provender and was edited for benignant by Gujarat Samachar Digital team)