RCB defeated LSG by five wickets in IPL 2026, with Rasikh Dar’s four-wicket haul and Virat Kohli’s 49 powering a comfortable chase in Bengaluru.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's captain Rajat Patidar plays a shot during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Photo: IANS/Dhananjay Yadav)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) produced a clinical all-round performance to defeat Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by five wickets in Match 23 of IPL 2026 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, chasing down 147 with 29 balls to spare.
The win was set up by a standout bowling effort led by Rasikh Salam Dar, who claimed four wickets to help bundle LSG out for 146 in 20 overs.
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Put in to bat, LSG struggled to find early momentum as Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood kept things tight with the new ball. Openers Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram found boundaries hard to come by before briefly breaking the shackles with a couple of big hits.
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However, Markram’s stay was cut short when he miscued a slower delivery from Rasikh to Devdutt Padikkal, triggering a slide. LSG’s problems deepened when captain Rishabh Pant was forced off the field early after injuring his elbow, adding to the disruption in the middle order.
Nicholas Pooran failed to capitalise on the opportunity, falling to Hazlewood, while Marsh tried to anchor the innings with a steady 40 off 32 balls. His partnership with Ayush Badoni offered brief resistance, but RCB struck at regular intervals to keep LSG in check.
Krunal Pandya removed Marsh with a fuller delivery before dismissing Abdul Samad for a duck in his next over, tightening the screws further.
Badoni (38 off 24) and Mukul Choudhary attempted to rebuild with a measured stand, but Rasikh returned to break the partnership, with Badoni edging behind. Pant, who came back to bat later, struggled and managed just one run before falling.
Mukul fought till the end with a 39-ball effort, but lack of support saw LSG bowled out for 146, with Rasikh finishing with figures of 4/24 and Bhuvneshwar chipping in with 3/27.
In reply, RCB made light work of the chase, powered by Virat Kohli, who set the tone early. Used as an impact player, Kohli was aggressive in the powerplay, racing to 40 quickly and finishing with 49 off 34 balls.
With the platform laid, captain Rajat Patidar (27 off 13) and Jitesh Sharma (23 off 9) played explosive cameos to push the game firmly in RCB’s favour.
Though Kohli fell just short of a half-century, the result was never in doubt as Tim David and Romario Shepherd applied the finishing touches, with Shepherd sealing the win with a boundary.
The victory briefly lifted RCB to the top of the points table, underlining their strong start to the season, while LSG were left searching for answers after another inconsistent outing.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru:
Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Tim David, Jitesh Sharma(w), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma
Impact Substitutes: Virat Kohli, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Kaushik Chauhan, Venkatesh Iyer.
Lucknow Super Giants:
Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Prince Yadav
Impact Substitutes: Mayank Yadav, George Linde, M.Siddharth, Matthew Bretzke, Himmat Singh.
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