In IPL cricket, Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Lucknow Super Giants by five wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru last night. Put into bat first, Lucknow Super Giants were bowled out for their lowest total of the season, 146, with Mitchell Marsh’s 40 being the highest score. Bengaluru pacer Rasikh Salam Dar claimed a four-wicket haul, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar took three wickets.
In reply, Royal Challengers Bengaluru overhauled the target for the loss of five wickets in 15.1 overs, with opener Virat Kohli scoring 49 runs. Lucknow’s Prince Yadav picked up three wickets, while Avesh Khan took two wickets. Bengaluru’s Josh Hazlewood was named player of the match.
Today, Mumbai Indians will take on Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai at 7:30 PM.
A one-sided encounter at the Chinnaswamy today. LSG are yet to cross the 200-run mark this season and they fell short by a long way today. Their batting hasn’t clicked yet in this season. If not for the contributions from the two uncapped players – Mukul and Badoni – they wouldn’t have got to 146 either. They’ll hope that Pant’s injury isn’t a serious one.
RCB, meanwhile, were absolutely clinical in all three departments. No freebies from the bowlers, outstanding fielding (which included a couple of brilliant catches) and then audacious batting. The defending champions will play their next two matches at home too. They’ll be keen to keep their winning streak going. That’s it for today. Tune in tomorrow for Mumbai Indians vs Punjab Kings.
Brief Scores: Lucknow Super Giants 146 in 20 overs [Mitchell Marsh 40 (32), Mukul Choudhary 39 (28), Ayush Badoni 38 (24); Rasikh Salam Dar 4-24, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-27] lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 149/5 in 15.1 overs [Virat Kohli 49 (34), Rajat Patidar 27 (13); Prince Yadav 3-32, Avesh Khan 2-23] by 5 wickets.
