🏏Jitesh, Kohli Light Up Lucknow in Epic IPL Chase 💫

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  • 🏏 LUCKNOW: Sparkling half centuries by Jitesh Sharma and Virat Kohli helped favourites Royal Challengers Bengaluru finish second in the IPL points table.

  • 🔥 They notched up a thrilling six-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday.

  • 📊 RCB finished second in the table and will play toppers Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 in Mullanpur on Thursday.

  • ✅ Already in the playoffs, RCB desperately needed this win.

  • 🧨 Jitesh and Kohli with Mayank Agarwal made it happen, chasing down the 228-run target with eight balls to spare.

  • 💔 It dashed LSG's hopes of a consolation win, raised on Rishabh Pant's unbeaten 118 that took them to 227/3.

  • 🛣️ RCB became the first team to go through an IPL group stage without losing a designated away game.

  • 🧢 Stand-in skipper Jitesh and Agarwal added 107 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket as RCB reached 230/4 in 18.4 overs.

  • 💣 Jitesh hammered 85 in 33 balls (4x8, 6x6). Agarwal hit a 23-ball 41 (5x4).

  • 🎭 The win wasn't without a mini drama in the 17th over when Digvijay Rathi removed the stumps on his bowling stride with Jitesh (on 57) out of his crease.

  • 👀 He appealed for run out and it went to the third umpire, who ruled him not out. Pant withdrew the appeal.

  • 👑 Kohli, who completed his 9000 T20 runs for a single franchise, and Phil Salt (30-19b, 6x4) set the tone for the chase, raising 61 runs in 34 balls.

  • ❌ RCB suffered a double blow with Will O'Rourke removing Rajat Patidar (14) and Liam Livingstone (0) off consecutive deliveries.

  • 💪 Kohli held firm, scoring a 30-ball 54 (10x4).

  • 📉 His dismissal in the 12th over reduced the innings to 123/4, but Jitesh and Agarwal hammered the bowling.

  • 🎯 Pant finally found form with an unbeaten century.

  • 💥 He smacked 118 (61b, 11x4, 8x6), adding 152 runs for the opening wicket with Mitch Marsh (67-37b, 4x4, 5x6) as LSC posted 227/3 after being asked to bat.

  • 🏆 Pant hit his second IPL century, boosting his confidence ahead of the England Test tour.

  • 🎉 He hit Bhuvneshwar Kumar over extra cover for four to complete the hundred before removing his helmet and gloves and doing a celebratory cartwheel.

  • 🚀 Pant started off well, hammering Yash Dayal for 18 runs in his first over, which included a huge six on the second ball, and two boundaries on the fourth and sixth deliveries.

  • 👊 He along with Marsh made RCB bowlers' lives difficult as Yash Dayal (3-0-44-0), Romario Shepherd (4-0-51-1), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4-0-46-1) and Suyash Sharma (3-0-39-0) looked clueless.

  • ❌ LSG lost opener Mathew Breetzke (14) early, playing his first IPL match this season, bowled by Nuwan Thushara, who also impressed.

  • ⚠️ Thushara almost had Marsh’s wicket early with a swinging yorker.

  • 💪 Breetzke’s quick departure didn’t impact Marsh and Pant, who went on hammering bowlers with sheer power.

  • 🤝 The duo stitched together 152 runs for the opening wicket.

  • 💥 Pant added another 49-run partnership for the third wicket with Nicholas Pooran (13).

  • 🌟 Marsh, who crossed 600 runs for his finest IPL season in a decade, scored his sixth fifty of the IPL in 31 balls with a huge six off Suyash.

  • 🐢 He started slow with 19 off 16 balls but soon shifted gears, starting with a six off Romario Shepherd.

  • ❌ He couldn’t go further as he snicked Bhuvneshwar to stumper Jitesh Sharma.

📋 Brief scores:

  • LSG 227/3 (Mitchell Marsh 67, Rishabh Pant 118).

  • RCB 230/4 in 18.4 ovs (Virat Kohli 54, Mayank Agarwal 41, Jitesh Sharma 85*).

  • 🏆 RCB won by 6 wkts.


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