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| @Jitesh Sharma's celebration after winning the match vs LSG IPL2025 |
In a high-action finish to the IPL league stage, RCB beat LSG by six wickets at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on May 27. Not only did this victory rank among the greatest chases in IPL, but it also got RCB into second place in the points standings and guaranteed them a place in Qualifier 1.
With the win, RCB broke their previous IPL record for the highest successful chase and finished with seven straight away victories in the regular season. You can read here about the match, including the key players, important moments and how it all took place.
Match Context and Build-up :
RCB had a lot to lose in their final league match of the IPL 2025 season. A win would let them finish in the top two and enter Qualifier 1 with two chances to play in the IPL final. Meanwhile, LSG hoped to finish the season well after an up-and-down season, thanks to their strong recent win against Gujarat Titans. Because the pitch at the Ekana Stadium helped batters, fans looked forward to a game filled with runs, given both teams had strong batting line-ups.
Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran led the LSG batting charge, while Rishabh Pant captained and kept wickets. In response, RCB put out a team with Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Mayank Agarwal and captain Jitesh Sharma, along with Josh Hazlewood, who took 18 wickets in just 10 matches that season.
Pant’s Brilliant Century Was Part of LSG’s Batting :
After winning the toss, LSG chose to bat and their first batsmen made this a good choice. Marsh and Breetzke both started by taking their time, but Marsh had a close call early on after a bouncer from Nuwan Thushara hit his helmet and flew for a four. Breetzke was out when he played at a full outswinger from Thushara that hit the off stump for 14. After that, Rishabh Pant joined the game and LSG’s captain immediately made his mark.
Pant, looking sharp, added valuable runs with Marsh, who put together a quick 67 off 37 balls before being caught by Jitesh Sharma off Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Pant kept up his great form, scoring a hundred runs (100) and playing some powerful shots to wipe out RCB’s attack. Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni helped LSG reach a big total and it was Pooran’s clean striking that really caused the damage. Royal Challengers Bangalore had to chase 228 runs after LSG set a competitive score of 227/4 in 20 overs. It was Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal who impressed with their bowling for RCB, while Hazlewood held up well but couldn’t keep the runs from flowing on the easy-scoring deck.
Chase by RCB: Jitesh Sharma’s Destruction :
Chasing a high target, RCB needed to get off to a quick start which Virat Kohli and Phil Salt did. Kohli and Salt added 50 runs quickly, thanks to Kohli’s covers and Salt’s aggressive shots. Even so, Will O’Rourke and Digvesh Rathi, leading LSG’s bowlers, got rid of Salt and another RCB wicket to leave the team at a dangerous 70 for 2. The run rate we needed kept increasing and we were feeling a lot of pressure.
Mayank Agarwal and Jitesh Sharma are next to come to bat. They focused on removing LSG’s lesser bowlers and played Rathi, their impressive find, with a careful strategy. While Agarwal remained calm, Sharma showed off his range of shots that amazed the crowd at Ekana. RCB realized it needed 10 runs off Rathi’s over and decided to attack the following overs.
Sharma played a brilliant T20 innings. He reached his first IPL fifty in only 25 deliveries by hitting a six off Rathi. Even with that slower ball, he kept his nerve and hit a boundary over extra cover, then sixes that helped to reduce the required rate. Sharma was ably assisted by Agarwal, who hit good shots and scored when the team needed them most. RCB owed much of their success in chasing to the 107-run partnership shared by the pair in just 45 balls.
Post-Match Reflections :
After the match, Mayank Agarwal complimented Jitesh Sharma, saying, “We didn’t really have much to say.” I had to give him the strike. Jitesh performed exceptionally well.” After the game, Sharma said he couldn’t believe the way he had played. Rishabh Pant, despite the defeat, said he appreciated his team’s performance by saying, “You need to play 40 good overs.” I was feeling healthy, but sometimes I just couldn’t get it right.”
Their championship shows how deep and strong RCB truly are. The fact that they caught 228 and did not lose once on the road told their playoff rivals that they were serious. Because of the loss, LSG was seen to rely on Pant and Pooran and because of Mayank Yadav’s injury, their bowling looked weak.
Conclusion :
On that day, the RCB vs. LSG match highlighted some of the finest cricket seen in the IPL. Thanks to Sharma’s 85*, 41* from Agarwal and 54 runs by Kohli for RCB, their chase was historic, while LSG kept up due to a century from Pant. People will remember this match as one of the most memorable in IPL 2025 and it helped make the playoffs even more enjoyable.
Brief Scores :
LSG innings : 227/3 (20 Overs) Rishabh Pant 118* off 61 Balls ( 11 Fours And 8 Sixes), Mitchell Marsh 67 off 37 Balls (4 Fours And 5 Sixes).
RCB Bowling : Nuwan Thusara 1/26 (4 Overs), Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1/46 (4 Overs).
RCB Innings : 230/4 (18.4 Overs) Jitesh Sharma 85* off 33 Balls (8 Fours And 6 sixes), Virat Kohli 54 of 30 Balls (10 Fours).
LSG Bowling : William ORourke 2/74 (4 Overs), Avesh Khan 1/32 (3 Overs).
Player of the Match : Jitesh Sharma
Result : Royal Challengers Bengaluru Won by 6 Wickets.