For the second day in a row, the Indian Premier League witnessed an exhilarating last-ball finish in a high-scoring game.
On Sunday, Rinku Singh produced the greatest finish in IPL history by hitting the last five balls of the game for sixes to secure victory against Gujarat Titans. Last night, it was the turn of Lucknow Super Giants to break the hearts of Royal Challengers Bangalore fans as they chased down 213 off the final ball of the game, and with just one wicket in hand.
Monday's match was set up by Nicholas Pooran who smashed 62 from just 19 balls at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, hitting seven sixes and four boundaries. Marcus Stoinis (65 off 30 balls) and Ayush Badoni (30 off 24) also played big roles in the chase, but it was left-handed Pooran who set up the game.
When Badoni got dismissed hit-wicket having struck a six off the same ball, the visitors needed seven from eight balls with three wickets in hand.
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Lucknow Super Giants' Ravi Bishnoi celebrates the last-ball win over Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday, April 10, 2023. AP -
Lucknow Super Giants defeated Virat Kohli's, right, Royal Challengers Bangalore in their IPL match. Sportzpics for IPL -
Bollywood star and Virat Kohli's wife Anushka Sharma at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. AFP -
Royal Challengers Bangalore's captain Faf du Plessis, left, walks past Lucknow Super Giants' Avesh Khan, centre, after the game on Monday. AP -
Bollywood star Anushka Sharma at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Sportzpics for IPL -
Royal Challengers Bangalore's Glenn Maxwell after reaching his fifty. AP -
RCB captain Faf du Plessis top-scored with 79. AFP -
Royal Challengers Bangalore's Mohammed Siraj, right, after taking the wicket of Lucknow Super Giants' Kyle Mayers. AP -
Royal Challengers Bangalore's Wayne Parnell, centre, picked up two early wickets. AP -
Lucknow Super Giants' Marcus Stoinis smashed a quick fifty. AFP -
Lucknow Super Giants' Nicholas Pooran hit 62 from just 19 balls on Monday. AFP -
Lucknow Super Giants' Nicholas Pooran, right, and Ayush Badoni steered the chase. AP -
Nicholas Pooran celebrates his fifty. AP -
Lucknow Super Giants' Ayush Badoni after hitting the wicket. AFP
Two wickets in a brilliant final over by Harshal Patel meant Lucknow needed one off the last ball. They stole a bye after wicketkepeer Dinesh Karthik fumbled a routine collection for victory. This after Patel had failed to run Ravi Bishnoi out at the non-striker's end for backing up too far.
Earlier, fifties from Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell took Bangalore to 212-2.
"The way Stoin and Pooran played, if we have two points today it's because of them," Lucknow captain KL Rahul said.
“Disappointed, I mean obviously they played really well through the middle there but I thought we fought back beautifully,” Du Plessis said. “I threw all our weapons we had at them.”
Kohli's wife and Bollywood star Anushka Sharma was at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday.
