- Friday, April 25, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) suffered their second successive defeat in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday (10) after their match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ended in high drama.
RCB came up with a brilliant batting display to overcome their one-sided loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in the previous match in Kolkata to put up a formidable 212 for 2 in 20 overs with Virat Kohli (61), captain Faf du Plessis (79 not out) and Glenn Maxwell (59) slamming brisk fifties.
They also had LSG in the coffin by dismissing half their side for only 105 in the 12th over. But Lucknow made brilliant comeback thereafter, banking on a stormy 84-run partnership between Marcus Stoinis (65) and Nicholas Pooran (62) with the latter belting the edition’s fastest fifty. Bangalore still renewed their hopes by picking four quick wickets that left LSG requiring one run to win off as many ball and having as many wicket.
But RCB failed to find the nails as wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik and Harshal Patel, who bowled the final over, missed run-outs of the final two deliveries of the innings, resulting in LSG winning by a wicket.
It was, however, Patel’s run-out attempt at the non-striker’s end which became the talking point after the match. With just one needed in the final ball, Patel tried to run out Ravi Bishnoi at the non-striker’s end as the batter was well out of the crease. He missed the mark but threw the ball the towards the stumps at which the on-field umpire disagreed.
In the final ball, Bishnoi ran a bye as the wicket-keeper missed hitting the stumps, thereby giving LSG a win that took them to the top of the table.
Expressing disappointment over the outcome, du Plessis said after the match, “Disappointed. I mean obviously they played really well through the middle there but I thought we fought back beautifully. But then that last ball, I fancied our chances with a run-out. I think just looking at that wicket, the batting from overs 7 to 14 was quite slow, the wicket, but then in the last five overs the ball was coming on nicely and that carried on in the second innings,” Zee News reported.
Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Ben Stokes said that umpires should penalise batting team with six runs if the non-striker is out of the crease, to prevent the ‘Mankad’ scenario.
“Thought’s Harsha? Umpires discretion.. 6 penalty runs if obviously trying to gain unfair advantage by leaving crease early? Would stop batters doing it without all the controversy,” he tweeted.
Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag blamed Patel and Karthik for missing close run-outs.
“Ufff…crazy game. Harshal Patel and Dinesh Karthik missing out on run-outs of the last ball but a game of thin margins. Pooran was special. Two great games in 2 nights at the IPL,” he tweeted.
