INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE | WITH 13/6 IN SIX OVERS DC HIT LOWEST IPL POWERPLAY SCORE
MATCH TODAY – DELHI CAPITALS VS KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS AT 7:30 PM
Lucknow, May 7: Mitchell Marsh produced a breathtaking display of power-hitting as Lucknow Super Giants finally brought an end to their six-match losing streak with a thrilling nine-run DLS victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a rain-interrupted Indian Premier League clash at the Ekana Stadium here on Thursday.
In a contest repeatedly halted by rain and eventually reduced to 19 overs per side, Marsh stood tall with a magnificent 111 off just 56 deliveries, powering the bottom-placed LSG to an imposing 209 for three after being sent in to bat.
The Australian opener was in destructive form from the very beginning, smashing nine fours and an equal number of sixes in one of the finest innings of the season.
With Lucknow’s playoff hopes hanging by a thread, Marsh responded in emphatic fashion, taking apart the RCB bowling attack with ruthless aggression.
He first stitched together a 95-run opening partnership with Arshin Kulkarni, who made a modest 17 off 13 balls, before adding another crucial 70 runs with Nicholas Pooran, who contributed a brisk 38.Marsh looked ominous from the outset as he targeted Josh Hazlewood early, launching two towering sixes straight down the ground before following it up with a flurry of boundaries.
RCB were forced to introduce Rasikh Dar as early as the fifth over in an attempt to stem the flow of runs, but the move failed to contain the burly Australian.
Marsh hammered back-to-back sixes and raced to his fastest IPL half-century in just 20 balls as Lucknow stormed to 95 without loss in nine overs.
However, the momentum of the innings was repeatedly interrupted by rain, with the match witnessing as many as three stoppages that delayed proceedings by nearly an hour.After the first interruption, Krunal Pandya provided RCB with a breakthrough by dismissing Kulkarni, but the arrival of Pooran only intensified the assault.
The West Indian immediately crunched consecutive boundaries off Rasikh, while Marsh marched towards his century in style.
The opener brought up his hundred with successive boundaries before smashing a thunderous six over cover-point moments before rain halted play yet again.
Marsh was handed a lifeline on 110 when Devdutt Padikkal spilled a catch, though the reprieve proved short-lived as Hazlewood eventually dismissed him at deep point.With Marsh departing in the closing stages, skipper Rishabh Pant provided the finishing flourish with a blistering unbeaten 32 off just 10 deliveries, smashing four boundaries and two sixes to propel Lucknow beyond the 200-run mark.
The repeated rain interruptions meant RCB were set a revised DLS target of 213 from 19 overs. Chasing the challenging total, Royal Challengers Bengaluru fought hard but eventually fell short at 203 for six despite a valiant effort from skipper Rajat Patidar, who top-scored with a fluent 61 off 31 balls.Prince Yadav starred with the ball for Lucknow, returning figures of 3 for 33, while Shahbaz Ahmed chipped in with two wickets to dent RCB’s chase at crucial moments.
For Bengaluru, Krunal Pandya and Hazlewood picked up a wicket each, but their bowlers struggled throughout the evening against an inspired Marsh, whose sensational century ultimately proved to be the difference between the two sides.
For Lucknow, the long-awaited victory not only ended a painful losing run but also kept their fading playoff hopes alive. (PTI)
BRIEF SCORES
LSG: 209 for 3 in 20 overs (Mitchell Marsh 111, Krunal Pandya 1/31).
RCB: 203 for 6 in 19 overs (Rajat Patidar 61; Prince Yadav 3/33).
