IPL: Rasikh Dar, Krunal Pandya Spur RCB To Another Victory as LSG Struggle To Find Their Feet

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru humbled the Lucknow Super Giants at the M Chinnaswamy on Wednesday after their bowling unit -- led by Rasikh Salam Dar and Krunal Pandya -- made an already tough season for the LSG even tougher.

RCB cantered to a 5-wicket win as chasing 147 with a loaded batting order didn't seem quite a task.

Virat Kohli, playing for the first time as an Impact Sub after being "under the weather" for four-to-five days, chipped in with an effective 49 that made the chase going forward easier for the middle order.

Earlier, Rasikh led a clinical bowling performance as LSG were bundled out for a modest 146. Rasikh produced a standout spell to trigger key breakthroughs, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood provided crucial support as LSG never fully recovered from setbacks and regular loss of wickets through the middle overs.
After being asked to bat first, LSG made a steady start, reaching 22/0 in the first three overs before losing their opening wicket in the fourth over. On the final delivery of the over, Rasikh struck to remove Aiden Markram, who scored 12 off 8 balls, including a six.
The innings took a further hit when skipper Rishabh Pant had to walk off after being struck on the elbow by a Josh Hazlewood delivery during the fourth ball of the fifth over.
The defending champions kept things tight, restricting LSG to 35/1 at the end of the powerplay -- their lowest powerplay score of the season. The Super Giants also struggled to find momentum, managing 15 dot balls in the first six overs.
Hazlewood struck again soon after, cleaning up a struggling Nicholas Pooran for just one run, as LSG moved to 63/2 after nine overs.
Just as a partnership was beginning to build, Krunal Pandya provided another breakthrough by dismissing Mitchell Marsh in the 10th over. Marsh fell after a well-made 40 off 32 balls, featuring three fours and two sixes, leaving LSG at 71/3.

A landmark 100 for Krunal Pandya

During the second ball of the 12th over, Krunal Pandya took his second wicket. The all-rounder dismissed Abdul Samad for a two-ball duck.
After completing his wicket, Krunal reached the landmark of 100 wickets in his IPL career. Krunal also became the sixth finger spinner with 100 or more wickets in the tournament's history after Sunil Narine, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, and Axar Patel.
During the second ball of the 12th over, Krunal Pandya struck again to claim his second wicket of the innings, removing Abdul Samad for a two-ball duck.

With this dismissal, Krunal also reached a major milestone, completing 100 wickets in his IPL career. Krunal became only the sixth finger spinner in IPL history to achieve the landmark, joining an elite list that includes Sunil Narine, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, and Axar Patel.

By the end of the 15th over, LSG reached 112/4, as they continued to search for momentum in their innings.

During the fifth ball of the 16th over, Rasikh Salam Dar picked his second wicket of the innings by removing Ayush Badoni. The right-handed batter scored 38 off 24 deliveries, hitting four boundaries and a six.
Following Badoni's dismissal, skipper Rishabh Pant walked out to bat with his left elbow heavily strapped, as the team looked to rebuild in the closing stages of the innings.

LSG continued to lose momentum as skipper Pant endured a difficult outing, falling for just one. Phil Salt completed a sharp catch to dismiss the LSG captain, further deepening their woes. With wickets tumbling at regular intervals, the visitors slipped to 124/6 at the end of the 17th over.
During the 19th over, pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar got back-to-back wickets of George Linde and Mohammed Shami as LSG sank to 137/8.
During the 20th over, Rasikh took two wickets of Mukul Choudhary (39 off 28 balls, with five boundaries) and Avesh Khan (1) as Lucknow were bundled out for just 146 runs.
For the defending champions, Rasikh picked a four-wicket haul (4/24). Bhuvneshwar scalped three wickets (3/27). Hazlewood (1/20) and Krunal (2/38) were also among the wicket-takers.

(With inputs from ANI)