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'Poori der ke lie gotti muh me tha'- Twitter can't keep calm as Lucknow Super Giants beat RCB in a nail-biting last ball finish by 1 wicket

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Rohit Kumar
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Royal Challengers Bangalore

Royal Challengers Bangalore: (Image Source: Twitter)

Lucknow Supergiants held their nerve as they eked out a one-wicket victory on the last ball of a nail-biting encounter against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League on Monday, April 10.

Invited to bat first by KL Rahul, Bangalore got off to a rollicking start courtesy of their experienced opening duo of Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis. Kohli assumed the role of the aggressor at the start of the innings, racing to 50 off just 35 balls just after the powerplay finished. He departed in the 12th over for 61 off 44 balls, having smashed four fours and four sixes.

Pouncing on the opportunity to build a big total on the platform provided by their openers, RCB sent in Glenn Maxwell at number three, and the big-hitting Australian provided the fireworks. Maxwell and du Plessis, who also picked up the pace following Kohli’s departure, dispatched the Lucknow bowlers to all parts of the ground in their 115-run stand.

Maxwell was dismissed on the penultimate ball of the innings, having scored 59 off 29 with three fours and six sixes, while skipper du Plessis remained unbeaten on 79 off 46, with five fours and five sixes as Royal Challengers Bangalore posted 212/2 in their 20 overs.

Lucknow Super Giants’ innings got off to a less-than-ideal start as the big-hitting Kyle Mayers fell in the very first over. Deepak Hooda and Krunal Pandya were dismissed cheaply as well, with Lucknow tottering at 23/3 in the fourth over.

Marcus Stoinis led the counter-charge with a stunning display of power hitting, reaching his half-century off just 25 balls. The Australian finally fell for 65 off 30 balls in the 11th over, having smashed six fours and five sixes. Rahul’s torrid time at the crease came to an end soon after, with the Lucknow opener falling in the next over after limping to 18 off 20 balls.

With the Lucknow innings seemingly in disarray, Nicholas Pooran steadied the ship with a display of ferocious hitting. The West Indies batter brought up the fastest half-century of IPL 2023, reaching the landmark off just 15 balls. He was finally dismissed in the 17th over for 62 off just 19 balls, having smashed 62 off 19 balls with the help of four fours and seven sixes.

Impact Player Ayush Badoni showed great composure to guide Lucknow almost to the finish line before another dramatic twist in the 19th over saw him get out hit-wicket despite dispatching the ball over the boundary for six. After Badoni departed for 30 off 24, Harshal Patel picked up two wickets in the final over as the match came down to a nail-biting last-ball finish. However, Avesh Khan and Ravi Bishnoi kept their composure to sneak a bye off the final delivery to take their side over the finish line.

With the win, Lucknow climb to the top of the IPL table, having won three out of their four games, while Bangalore remained seventh in the standings.

Here's a look at how fans reacted to the win:

Indian Premier League Lucknow Super Giants