Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) kept their playoff hopes alive after defeating Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by nine runs in the rain-affected 50th match of IPL 2026 at the Ekana Stadium. LSG successfully defended 219 in a match reduced to 19 overs per side. The win came just three days after they failed to defend 228 against Mumbai Indians. The victory was powered by a brilliant century from Mitchell Marsh and a fiery spell from young pacer Prince Yadav.
Marsh Produces Match-Winning Century
Marsh played one of the finest knocks of the season. The Australian all-rounder smashed 111 runs off just 56 balls and completely dominated the RCB bowlers. He reached his fifty in only 20 balls and completed his century in 49 deliveries, the fastest hundred for LSG in IPL history.
Marsh attacked from the beginning and punished almost every loose delivery. He especially targeted fellow Australian Josh Hazlewood, hitting him for two massive sixes early in the innings.
He also attacked the spinners aggressively. Most of his runs came in boundaries as he hammered 90 runs through fours and sixes.
Rain Break Fails to Slow LSG
LSG reached 95 without losing a wicket in nine overs before rain briefly stopped play. Young opener Arshin Kulkarni struggled to score quickly at the other end. He made 17 off 23 balls before falling immediately after play resumed.
Despite that setback, Marsh continued his assault and kept the scoring rate high. Later, captain Rishabh Pant provided the perfect finish with a blazing 32 off just 10 balls. Pant attacked Rasikh Dar in the final over and smashed the last three balls for 4, 4 and 6. LSG scored 64 runs in the final five overs to post a massive total of 219.
Prince Yadav Destroys RCB’s Top Order
RCB’s chase suffered an early collapse after Prince Yadav produced a sensational delivery to dismiss Virat Kohli for a duck. The fast inswinging delivery beat Kohli’s inside edge and crashed into the stumps. It marked Kohli’s first IPL duck since 2023.
Earlier, RCB had already lost Jacob Bethell cheaply. The team slipped to 9 for 2. Prince later returned to break the backbone of RCB’s chase. He dismissed Devdutt Padikkal with a slower ball that stuck on the pitch. Soon after, he removed Jitesh Sharma with a sharp bouncer.
The young pacer finished with figures of 3 for 21 and completely changed the momentum of the match.
Patidar Fights Lone Battle
RCB captain Rajat Patidar tried hard to keep his side alive in the chase. He attacked both Mayank Yadav and Digvesh Rathi with fearless strokeplay. Patidar smashed a rapid half-century off just 26 balls. He was especially severe against Rathi and scored 23 runs from only six balls against him.
From 60 for 2 after seven overs, RCB added 44 runs in the next three overs and looked set to pull off a remarkable chase. However, Prince’s double strike turned the game around. Patidar then fell three balls later, ending RCB’s biggest hopes.
Shahbaz Ahmed Makes Strong Impact
Shahbaz Ahmed impressed in only his second match of the season. He dismissed Patidar in his first over and later removed Tim David, who had scored a dangerous 40 off 17 balls.
RCB still needed 33 runs from the last two overs when Krunal Pandya smashed back-to-back sixes off Mohammed Shami. However, with 20 needed from the final over, Digvesh Rathi kept his calm and allowed only one boundary as LSG finally ended their six-match losing streak.
This win gave LSG only their third victory in ten matches but kept their slim playoff hopes alive mathematically. Meanwhile, RCB remained third on the points table with 12 points. They stayed ahead of Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans only because of a better net run rate. Stay tuned with JUSZNEWS for regular updates!