RCB vs LSG Match Report: Royal Challengers Bengaluru Win by 5 Wickets – IPL 2026 23rd Match
Royal Challengers Bengaluru produced a clinical display at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, dismissing Lucknow Super Giants for 146 and knocking off the target in 15.1 overs to win by 5 wickets in the IPL 2026 23rd Match.
RCB won the toss and chose to field – a decision that looked well-judged from the first over. Rasikh Salam Dar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar shared seven wickets between them to skittle LSG out inside 20 overs, setting up a comfortable chase that RCB’s top order handled with minimum fuss.
LSG Innings: 146 All Out (20 Overs)
Lucknow had enough contributors to suggest a competitive total was possible, but none of them kicked on at the right moment. Mitchell Marsh led with 40 off 32 – three fours, two sixes, strike rate of 125 – before Krunal Pandya had him stumped in the 10th over. Ayush Badoni was the other main contributor with 38 off 24 (four fours, one six, SR 158.33), but fell to Rasikh in the 16th when LSG needed acceleration. Mukul DChoudhary punched 39 off 28 lower down (three fours, two sixes) to provide late impetus, but it was too little to post a defendable score.
The top and middle order crumbled. Rishabh Pant managed just 1 off 6 before Bhuvneshwar had him caught, and Nicholas Pooran lasted 7 balls for 1 – Josh Hazlewood doing the damage in the sixth over. The scorecard read 35/2 in the powerplay and never truly recovered from those early blows.
Rasikh Salam Dar was the pick of the bowlers with 4/24 off four overs – clean, accurate, relentless. Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 3/27 off four, and Krunal Pandya chipped in with 2/38 including the key wicket of Marsh. Josh Hazlewood was economical at 20 runs off four overs for his one wicket.
RCB Chase: 149/5 (15.1 Overs)
The target was never going to test RCB at home, and they made it look straightforward despite losing five wickets. Virat Kohli set the tone with 49 off 34 – six fours, one six, SR 144.12 – before Avesh Khan had him caught by Nicholas Pooran in the 10th over. It was vintage Kohli at the Chinnaswamy: fluent, watchful in the early overs before accelerating when the platform was set.
Rajat Patidar arrived at four and went hard immediately – 27 off 13 including one four and three sixes at a strike rate of 207.69 before a soft dismissal in the 12th. Two balls later, Jitesh Sharma fell for 23 off 9 (two fours, two sixes), leaving RCB at 122/5 with over four overs still remaining. In walked Tim David and Romario Shepherd, and they knocked off the remaining 27 runs without further alarm to complete a 5-wicket win with 29 balls to spare.
For LSG, Avesh Khan was the pick with 2/23 off four overs, while Prince Yadav claimed three wickets but bled 32 runs off three overs. Digvesh Rathi went wicketless in a costly spell – 51 runs off four overs.
Key Performances
Rasikh Salam Dar – 4/24 (4 overs), Econ 6.00: The standout performance of the match. Four wickets at an economy well within the T20 par – never let LSG build any kind of momentum through the middle overs.
Virat Kohli – 49 (34), SR 144.12: Near-fifty at his home ground. Composed early before shifting gears, giving RCB the platform to close the chase with overs to spare.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 3/27 (4 overs), Econ 6.75: Excellent with both pace and seam. Took care of Pant and Shami at either end of the innings – kept the lid on at crucial moments.
Mukul DChoudhary – 39 (28), SR 139.29: Bright note in an otherwise forgettable LSG batting display. Fought hard lower down but lacked support to make it matter.
How it Ended
Royal Challengers Bengaluru won by 5 wickets with 29 balls remaining. RCB move to 6 points from 5 matches in IPL 2026. Lucknow Super Giants slip to 2 points from 5 outings – their top order once again failing to post a competitive total when it mattered.
Full scorecard and player ratings: statz.ai/cricket
