Marsh's 111 & Kohli's First-Ball Duck Decide Lucknow Thriller
Lucknow Super Giants beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 9 runs (DLS) in IPL 2026 Match 50. Mitchell Marsh's blistering 111 off 56 balls — the fastest IPL century by any LSG player — propelled LSG to 209/3. In reply, RCB's chase was derailed inside 2 overs when Prince Yadav castled Virat Kohli for a 2-ball duck (his first IPL duck since 2023). Patidar's 26-ball fifty kept RCB alive but they fell short at 203/6. LSG end a 6-match losing streak; RCB drop to a precarious playoff position.
Sometimes one ball changes a match. On Thursday night at Ekana Stadium, that ball came in the second over of RCB's chase — a 140 kmph in-swinger from a 22-year-old named Prince Yadav, jagging back through Virat Kohli's defence to crash into middle-and-off stump. RCB 9 for 2. Kohli 0. The chase, like the IPL Trophy defence, never recovered.
But this match wasn't won in one moment. It was won by Mitchell Marsh's 56-ball century — fastest in LSG history. By Rishabh Pant's 32 off 10 to push the score from "competitive" to "winning." By Rajat Patidar's heroic 26-ball fifty that almost stole it back. And by a Lucknow side that, after six straight defeats, finally looked like a team again.
🔥 The 3 Moments That Decided It
Prince Yadav castles Virat Kohli — first ball, first IPL duck since 2023
Two balls. That's all it took. Mohammed Shami had already accounted for Jacob Bethell — 4 off 7, fourth single-digit score in a row. Then Prince Yadav came on for the second over. First ball, dot. Second ball: a hard length, jagging back in sharply at 140 kmph. Kohli pushed forward, tentative, the ball whistled past the inside edge and crashed into middle-and-off.
What made the moment surreal: Prince Yadav had said only weeks earlier he dreams of playing alongside Kohli at the 2027 ICC World Cup. After the match, the two had a moment — Kohli appearing to congratulate the young pacer.
Mitchell Marsh — 50 off 20, 100 off 49, 111 off 56
The 1.96m Australian opener has carried LSG's batting through every tactical pivot — through five different opening pairings in 10 games. On Thursday, he made certain LSG had a total to defend. Fifty in 20 balls. Century in 49. The fastest IPL hundred by any LSG batter in the franchise's history. He took apart compatriot Josh Hazlewood with two identical lofted sixes either side of a rain break. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Krunal Pandya weren't spared either.
His tall reach turning length balls into half-volleys was on full display: "He has the reach to access good lengths the way others can't," noted commentator Ambati Rayudu. Eventually dismissed in the 17th over — to Hazlewood, fittingly — by which point the damage was done.
Pant's 32 off 10 turns competitive into winning
After the rain break, LSG found themselves needing a death-overs explosion. Captain Rishabh Pant — who had moved down the order to accommodate Pooran at No. 3 — delivered exactly that. The last three balls of the innings, from Rasikh Salam Dar, were taken apart for 4, 4, 6. LSG hit 64 off the final 5 overs after the rain stoppage. Those 64 runs — particularly Pant's 32* off 10 — would later prove the difference.
🏆 Top Performers
SR 198.21
Fastest LSG IPL ton
Wickets: Kohli, Padikkal, Jitesh
3rd on Purple Cap now
SR 320.00
3 sixes in last over
26-ball fifty
23 runs off Rathi over
95-run stand with Patidar
Caught & bowled — Prince
Hit Mayank Yadav
for 2×6, 1×4 in one over
📜 How the Innings Unfolded
🏏 LSG Innings — 209/3 in 19 overs
Powerplay (1-6): Marsh and Arshin Kulkarni opened cautiously, just 5 off the first over from Bhuvneshwar. Then Marsh exploded — four sixes by ball 13. LSG ended PP at 61/0.
Middle overs (7-15): Three rain interruptions broke RCB's rhythm. Kulkarni struggled (eventually out for a low score). LSG were 95/0 in 9 overs when rain returned. After play resumed, the match was reduced. Marsh raced to 111 before falling to Hazlewood in the 17th. Inglis, Pooran and Markram contributed minor cameos but the score had built up well.
Death overs (16-19): Pant arrived at the ideal moment. LSG took 64 off the last 5. Pant's 32* off 10 included 3 sixes in the final over off Rasikh.
🏏 RCB Innings — 203/6 in 19 overs (Target 213, DLS)
Powerplay (1-6): A nightmare start. Bethell out 1st over (Shami). Kohli BOWLED for a duck in the 2nd over (Prince Yadav). RCB 9/2 in 2 overs.
Middle overs (7-15): Patidar and Padikkal stitched a brilliant 95-run third-wicket stand. Patidar took apart Mayank Yadav and Digvesh Rathi (23 off 6 deliveries from Rathi). RCB looked back in it at 60/2 → 104/2. Then Pant brought Prince Yadav back. He removed Padikkal (caught & bowled) and Jitesh Sharma (bouncer, caught) in one over. 3 for 21 from Prince at that point.
Death overs (16-19): Tim David's 40 off 17 kept RCB in it briefly. Krunal Pandya hit Shami for back-to-back sixes to bring it to 33 off 12. But Digvesh Rathi held nerve in the 19th over (last of the game, rain-shortened) — 19 needed off 6, RCB managed only 10.
📊 Impact on Playoffs Race
With 6 league-stage matches left and the playoffs starting May 26 in Dharamshala, the 9-run defeat puts RCB in a tight spot. They remain on 12 points but have now played 12 games — RR and GT are also on 12 but with games in hand. The defending champions cannot afford another slip.
| # | Team | P | W | L | PTS | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SRH | 11 | 7 | 4 | 14 | +0.820 |
| 2 | PBKS | 11 | 6 | 4 | 13 | +1.080 |
| 3 | RR | 11 | 6 | 5 | 12 | +0.180 |
| 4 | GT | 11 | 6 | 5 | 12 | +0.090 |
| 5 | RCB ↓ | 12 | 6 | 6 | 12 | +0.180 |
| 6 | CSK | 11 | 5 | 6 | 10 | -0.110 |
| 7 | DC | 11 | 4 | 7 | 8 | -0.290 |
| 8 | MI | 11 | 4 | 7 | 8 | -0.310 |
| 9 | LSG ↑ | 12 | 4 | 8 | 8 | -0.420 |
| 10 | KKR | 11 | 3 | 8 | 6 | -0.580 |
LSG mathematically alive but realistically out (would need to win all remaining + favourable NRR swings). RCB now 5th on tiebreakers after the loss — needs to win their remaining games to lock a top-4 spot.
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