INTRO
Royal Challengers Bengaluru produced one of the most clinical wins of IPL 2026, beating Lucknow Super Giants by 5 wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 15. LSG were bowled out for 146 in 20 overs, and RCB chased it down in 15.1 overs at 149/5, finishing with 29 balls to spare. Josh Hazlewood was officially named Player of the Match, while Rasikh Salam delivered the most destructive bowling figures with a career-best 4/24.
This was not a match decided by one freak over. RCB controlled both innings. First, their attack strangled LSG in the powerplay and middle overs. Then Virat Kohli’s 49, Jitesh Sharma’s 23 off 9, and a calm finish from Tim David and Romario Shepherd turned the chase into a professional cleanup rather than a contest.
Match summary 📋
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Match | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Lucknow Super Giants, Match 23, IPL 2026 |
| Venue | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| Toss | RCB won the toss and chose to field |
| LSG total | 146 all out in 20 overs |
| RCB total | 149/5 in 15.1 overs |
| Result | RCB won by 5 wickets |
| Margin in time | 29 balls remaining |
| Player of the Match | Josh Hazlewood |
These match details come directly from the scorecard and official match report.
LSG innings: pressure from ball one, then a slow collapse
Lucknow never built a real innings. They were 35/1 at the end of the powerplay, which the IPL report described as their lowest powerplay total of the season. Aiden Markram fell for 12, Nicholas Pooran made only 1, and captain Rishabh Pant was forced to retire hurt after taking a blow on the elbow before later returning and falling for just 1. That left Mitchell Marsh to do most of the early repair work with 40 off 32.
Even that resistance never became control. Marsh was removed by Krunal Pandya at 71/3, Abdul Samad fell for 0, and although Ayush Badoni and Mukul Choudhary added some life with 38 off 24 and 39 off 28, the innings kept breaking at the wrong moments. LSG reached 112/4 after 15 overs, but the finish was wrecked by RCB’s death bowling.
Rasikh Salam was the key destroyer. He removed Markram, then came back to dismiss Badoni, Mukul, and Avesh Khan, finishing with 4/24. Bhuvneshwar Kumar backed him with 3/27, including wickets of Pant and Mohammed Shami, while Hazlewood’s 1/20 and early spell kept the squeeze tight. The IPL report called 146 the lowest total by any side batting the full 20 overs in this IPL season.
LSG batting card 📊
| LSG batter | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Strike rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Marsh | 40 | 32 | 3 | 2 | 125.00 |
| Aiden Markram | 12 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 150.00 |
| Rishabh Pant | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16.66 |
| Nicholas Pooran | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14.28 |
| Ayush Badoni | 38 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 158.33 |
| Abdul Samad | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Mukul Choudhary | 39 | 28 | 3 | 2 | 139.28 |
| George Linde | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Mohammed Shami | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Avesh Khan | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Digvesh Rathi | 0* | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | 7 | — | — | — | — |
| Total | 146 all out | 20 overs | — | — | 7.30 RPO |
The innings figures above are from the ESPN scorecard.
RCB bowling card 🎯
| RCB bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 4 | 27 | 3 | 6.75 |
| Josh Hazlewood | 4 | 20 | 1 | 5.00 |
| Rasikh Salam | 4 | 24 | 4 | 6.00 |
| Krunal Pandya | 4 | 38 | 2 | 9.50 |
| Suyash Sharma | 4 | 34 | 0 | 8.50 |
These bowling figures are from the official scorecard.
RCB chase: Kohli broke the chase open, Jitesh finished the tension
RCB’s chase started with one early wicket when Phil Salt was bowled by Prince Yadav for 7, but the innings changed the moment Kohli arrived as the Impact Substitute. The IPL report says RCB were 60/1 at the end of the powerplay, with Kohli already on 40 from 20 balls. That opening burst killed the required rate and removed almost all scoreboard pressure.
Devdutt Padikkal made 10, and Kohli fell for 49 off 34 just short of a half-century. But by then RCB were already 86/3 and well ahead. Rajat Patidar then hit 27 off 13, and Jitesh Sharma delivered the most violent cameo of the chase, smashing 23 off 9. The official IPL report highlighted one over from Digvesh Rathi that went for 23, with Jitesh taking him apart with boundaries and sixes.
Prince Yadav briefly hit back by taking three wickets, including Patidar and Jitesh in quick succession, but the chase was already too far gone. Tim David and Romario Shepherd, both unbeaten on 14 off 8, closed the match without fuss as RCB reached 149/5 in 15.1 overs.
RCB batting card ⚡
| RCB batter | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | Strike rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Salt | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 87.50 |
| Virat Kohli | 49 | 34 | 6 | 1 | 144.11 |
| Devdutt Padikkal | 10 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 90.90 |
| Rajat Patidar | 27 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 207.69 |
| Jitesh Sharma | 23 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 255.55 |
| Tim David | 14* | 8 | 1 | 1 | 175.00 |
| Romario Shepherd | 14* | 8 | 1 | 1 | 175.00 |
| Extras | 5 | — | — | — | — |
| Total | 149/5 | 15.1 overs | — | — | 9.82 RPO |
The batting figures are from the ESPN scorecard.
LSG bowling card
| LSG bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Shami | 3 | 30 | 0 | 10.00 |
| Prince Yadav | 3 | 32 | 3 | 10.66 |
| Digvesh Rathi | 4 | 51 | 0 | 12.75 |
| Avesh Khan | 4 | 23 | 2 | 5.75 |
| George Linde | 1.1 | 9 | 0 | 7.71 |
These figures are from the official scorecard.
Phase comparison 📈
| Phase | LSG | RCB |
|---|---|---|
| Powerplay | 35/1 | 60/1 |
| Score at 10 overs | 72/3 | 84/2 after 10 overs |
| Key middle phase | 71/3 to 118/5 | Kohli controlled chase, Patidar accelerated |
| Finish | Bowled out for 146 | Chased in 15.1 overs |
| Match outcome | Under pressure all innings | Controlled from powerplay onward |
This is the real shape of the game. LSG lost the powerplay badly, and RCB then won it even harder with the bat. Once that happened, the rest of the match became about execution, not survival.
Turning points 🧠
| Moment | Why it mattered |
|---|---|
| LSG crawl to 35/1 in the powerplay | Put the innings behind immediately |
| Hazlewood bowls Pooran for 1 | Removed LSG’s most dangerous hitter early |
| Krunal dismisses Marsh and Samad | Broke the only serious rebuilding route |
| Rasikh’s 4/24 | Destroyed the lower-middle order and tail |
| Kohli’s 40* off 20 in powerplay | Killed the chase pressure |
| Jitesh’s 23 off 9 | Ended any realistic chance of an LSG comeback |
Each of these moments is visible in the official score progression and match report.
Tactical reading
RCB won because they were cleaner in the two most important T20 zones: the new ball and the death overs. Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar denied Lucknow any launch, Rasikh nailed the finish, and Kohli’s powerplay intent ensured the chase never tightened. LSG had some resistance through Marsh, Badoni, and Mukul, but no phase of the match ever fully belonged to them.
There is one small wrinkle in the official storytelling: the IPL report leaned heavily on Rasikh’s spell, while the scorecard and Reuters identified Hazlewood as Player of the Match. That split does not change the match reading. Hazlewood set the tone, but Rasikh produced the most damaging wicket haul. Together with Bhuvneshwar, they made 146 look thin long before RCB started batting.
Final verdict
This was a serious RCB performance, not just a comfortable win. They restricted LSG to 146, chased it in 15.1 overs, and moved to the top cluster of the table on 8 points. Kohli’s 49 gave the chase shape, Jitesh gave it speed, and the bowling unit gave the match its identity. For LSG, the problem was simpler: too few runs, too little control, and too many overs spent reacting. 🚀
