Marsh ton powers LSG past RCB to keep playoffs alive

A 20-run final over can make captains look foolish or fearless. On Wednesday night, Rishabh Pant chose fearless.

Lucknow Super Giants beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 9 runs in a rain-trimmed IPL 2026 match in Lucknow. The win kept LSG alive in the playoff race, though still on tricky mathematical ground.

For RCB, the loss hurt twice. They missed a chance to go top of the table. They also found out, again, how quickly a chase can turn when early wickets and death overs meet.

Marsh gives Lucknow serious muscle

Mitchell Marsh gave LSG the kind of innings teams remember in May. He smashed 111 off 56 balls, with 9 fours and 9 sixes.

That is not just a big score. It is control with violence. Marsh did not merely swing hard. He built the innings, then tore into the bowling.

Arshin Kulkarni played the quieter role at the top. He made 17 off 24 balls, but helped add 95 for the first wicket. In a 19-over match, that base mattered.

Nicholas Pooran then kept the pressure on with 38 off 23. Pant added the late punch, finishing unbeaten on 32 off just 10 balls.

By the end, LSG had 209 for 3 in 19 overs. Because rain had shortened the match, RCB’s target became 213 under the DLS method.

RCB stumble before the chase breathes

A chase of 213 in 19 overs needs a clean start. RCB got the opposite.

Mohammed Shami struck in the first over, removing Jacob Bethell for 4. Prince Yadav then landed the bigger punch in the second over, sending Virat Kohli back for 0.

That left RCB in trouble before the chase had settled. In T20 cricket, early wickets do more than reduce runs. They steal the licence to attack.

Rajat Patidar and Devdutt Padikkal repaired the damage well. Their 95-run stand off 53 balls brought RCB back into the contest.

Patidar, the RCB captain, played the innings that kept the dugout believing. He made 61 off 31 balls, hitting with timing and authority.

Padikkal added 35 off 25, and for a while, RCB looked ready to make LSG sweat.

Prince Yadav changes the game

Prince Yadav’s spell was the quiet turning point. He had already removed Kohli, but his bigger work came later.

In the 11th over, he dismissed Padikkal just when the partnership looked dangerous. He also got Jitesh Sharma in the same over.

That double strike changed the mood. RCB still had power left, but LSG had broken the rhythm.

Shahbaz Ahmed then made the next big move. He dismissed Patidar for 61, and later removed Tim David for 40 off 17 balls.

David’s wicket mattered hugely. He had the kind of hitting form that makes fielders look smaller and boundaries look closer.

With David gone, RCB needed Krunal Pandya and Romario Shepherd to pull off the final act. They almost did.

Pant trusts Rathi at the death

The match came down to 20 runs off the last over. Shepherd was still there. Krunal was still there. RCB still had hope.

Rishabh Pant handed the ball to Digvesh Rathi. That was a brave call, because the final over rarely forgives doubt.

Rathi had to bowl to hitters who knew exactly what they needed. One poor ball could have changed the whole table.

Instead, he gave away only 10 runs. LSG won by 9 runs, and Pant’s gamble looked sharp.

Krunal finished on 28 off 16. Shepherd made 23 off 15. Those numbers show how close RCB came, but also where they fell short.

LSG’s bowling card told the story neatly. Prince Yadav took 3 wickets. Shahbaz Ahmed took 2. Shami took 1, including the early blow.

The table pressure now bites

This result keeps LSG breathing, but not comfortably. Their playoff hopes now depend on their own results and other teams slipping.

That is the strange cruelty of the IPL league stage. One win can revive a campaign, but it may not give full control back.

For RCB, this was a missed chance to send a message. Defending champions usually want these nights sealed quickly, especially against a side under pressure.

Instead, they lost the opening phase, recovered well, then lost key wickets at the wrong time. In a tight chase, that is usually enough.

Still, RCB will not panic over one defeat. Patidar’s form, David’s hitting, and the late fight from Krunal and Shepherd give them positives.

But the early exits of Bethell and Kohli will sting. A chase that big cannot keep starting from a hole.

For LSG, Marsh’s hundred gives them belief. Prince Yadav’s spell gives them a new match-winner. Rathi’s final over gives Pant a selection-room argument.

That matters at this stage. Teams need more than star names in May. They need players who can own pressure without asking for permission.

For fans, this was the IPL at its most familiar. Rain changed the maths, one over changed the chase, and one captain’s call changed the night.

LSG are still alive, but the road remains narrow. RCB are still strong, but they have been reminded that top spot must be earned twice, first on paper, then under lights.