Rasikh Salam's four-wicket haul powers RCB to comfortable win over LSG at Chinnaswamy
LSG crumble under pace pressure
RCB captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and inserted LSG on a surface that offered something for the seamers early on. The decision paid off almost immediately. Rasikh Salam struck in his opening spell to remove Aiden Markram for 12, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar was just as sharp at the other end, picking up wickets at regular intervals.
The damage was compounded when Rishabh Pant retired hurt early in the innings. A Josh Hazlewood delivery struck the LSG captain flush on the left elbow, and Pant walked off in visible pain after receiving on-field treatment. He returned to bat later in the innings after the fall of subsequent wickets but was caught by Phil Salt with the score still well below par.
Mitchell Marsh top-scored with 40 and Mukul Choudhary contributed 39, but neither could kick on when LSG needed acceleration. Rasikh came back at the death to dismiss Choudhary and Avesh Khan in quick succession, finishing with four wickets as LSG were bowled out for 146 in 20 overs.
Kohli falls one short of fifty as RCB cruise home
Virat Kohli came in as RCB's impact substitute for the chase and opened alongside Phil Salt. He looked in superb touch from ball one, hammering Mohammed Shami for three consecutive boundaries in a 15-run over. Kohli moved briskly to 49 off 34 balls before falling one run short of a half-century, a dismissal that drew groans from a packed Chinnaswamy.
Devdutt Padikkal had departed earlier with the score on 65 for 1 after seven overs, and RCB briefly wobbled at 92 for 3 in the 11th over after Kohli's exit. But the target was never going to be enough. The defending champions knocked off the remaining runs without further alarm, reaching 149/5 in 15.1 overs to win by five wickets.
Pant's elbow injury adds to LSG's problems
The bigger worry for Lucknow is Pant's fitness. He did not take the field as wicketkeeper during the RCB chase, with Choudhary filling in behind the stumps. LSG have not yet confirmed the severity of the injury, but any extended absence for their captain and most destructive batter would be a serious blow at this point in the tournament.
For RCB, this was another clinical performance. Their pace attack, spearheaded by Rasikh and Bhuvneshwar, continues to look one of the most threatening in IPL 2026.
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