It proved to be a battle of attrition for the batters on a tricky pitch at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
Quinton de Kock slammed the only half-century of the game, hitting 81 from 56 balls, while Nicholas Pooran blasted a game-changing 40 from 21 balls, including five sixes in the last two overs to rally LSG to 181/5.
In reply, none of the RCB batters got a measure of the two-paced pitch as they were bowled out for 153 to lose by 28 runs.
Check out the best knocks of the RCB vs LSG match:
Quinton de Kock
De Kock's superb half-century drove LSG in the first half of their innings despite wickets falling regularly at the other end.
Opening alongside K L Rahul, de Kock accelerated from the onset, taking Reece Topley to the cleaners in the first over.
While Rahul enjoyed the best seat in the house, de Kock kept the boundaries flowing. He found his first maximum off Mohammed Siraj as he hammered the length ball from Siraj over fine leg and into the first tier at the M Chinnaswamy stadium.
The LSG opener followed it up with another one as Siraj, going length again, was dispatched for a maximum over deep backward square leg.
De Kock and Rahul added 53 off 33 for the opening stand, with de Kock being the busy one, scoring 32 off 19.
With Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal departing in quick succession, de Kock changed his tempo, with the boundaries drying up.
But with the hard-hitting Marcus Stoinis joining him in the middle, he once again picked up the pace as he brought up his second fifty on the trot. He completed his 22nd IPL fifty in style with a boundary off Mayank Dagar, off just 36 deliveries.
Dropped on 34 off 21 by Glenn Maxwell, he turned in a punishing innings to lay the foundation for a challenging total.
He continued to pick the pacers as he sent the ball out of the park at a regular rate. Using Cameron Green's pace, de Kock hammered him in the 13th over; Stoinis and de Kock milked 19 runs off him in the 13th over.
De Kock's knock ended in the 17th over with Topley getting his revenge.
Scoring at a rate of 114.64, de Kock's 56 ball 81 was peppered with eight boundaries and five sixes.
Furthermore, he registered his 66th 50-plus score in T20 cricket, going past the landmark of 3,000 runs in the IPL.
Nicholas Pooran
The West Indian dasher had a job to do in the death overs after LSG lost the momentum in the middle overs. Though de Kock had played a top knock, with wickets tumbling at the other end, the visitors needed a quickfire knock in the death.
And Pooran was just what the doctor prescribed for the LSG innings.
Coming in at No. 5, Pooran survived an early scare after being dropped on just 2 by Anuj Rawat.
And thereon, Pooran dished out a beating the Bengaluru side won't forget so easily. After a 21-ball 42 in LSG's previous match over the Punjab Kings, Pooran struck a whirlwind 40 off 21, hitting five sixes in the last two overs to turn the match on its head.
The Windies batter took a special liking to left-arm seamer Topley as he hammered him for three sixes on the trot in the 19th over.
Adding the finishing touches, Pooran didn't spare Siraj, smashing him for two lofty shots in the final over to take the visitors to a solid total.
Scoring at a sizzling rate of 190.47, Pooran silenced the Bengaluru crowd with one boundary and five maximums. LSG's last five overs produced 50 runs, but 33 of those came in the last two overs including five sixes, reminding everyone of what a destructive batter Pooran is.
Mahipal Lomror
Lomror was brought in as the Impact Player with RCB reeling on 94/5 in the 13th over.
The left-hander nearly pulled back RCB from the dead with an entertaining cameo of 33 from 13 balls, with three sixes and as many fours.
He started with a boundary, slashing pacer Yash Thakur over point and then took apart the same bowler for two sixes and a four in his next over.
19 runs from the 16th over revived RCB's hopes.
The RCB fans found their voice as Lomror despatched Naveen-ul-Haq for a six and a four in the following over.
RCB were still in the contest with 46 needed from three overs and Lomror hitting the bowlers to all part of the stadium.
However, Thakur extracted revenge as he got Lomror caught at long off by Pooran to finish off RCB's hopes.
LSG Vs RCB: Who Batted Best?
Photographs: BCCI
