Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) edged a nerve-wracking  Indian Premier League (IPL) tie against  Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by one wicket at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Monday.

Harshal Patel nearly defended five runs off the final over but Dinesh Karthik’s fumble helped the visitors sneak a bye with one needed from one ball.

When seven runs were required from nine deliveries, Impact Player substitute  Ayush Badoni (for Amit Mishra) scooped Wayne Parnell over the fine-leg boundary but unfortunately hit the wicket on the follow-through. But he would taste salvation not long after.

LSG chased down the stiff 213-run target, despite being reduced to 23 for three, on the back of two swashbuckling half-centuries from Marcus Stoinis (65, 30b, 6×4, 5×6) and  Nicholas Pooran (62, 19b, 4×4, 7×6).

Stoinis, sporting a minimalist’s air, smashed Harshal, Karn Sharma and Shahbaz Ahmed for 45 runs across three overs to shift momentum. RCB excised Stoinis and KL Rahul in a span of four balls, but couldn’t arrest the flow of runs.

At that stage, LSG needed 108 off 53 balls and Pooran played like a man possessed, blasting everything in sight, to score this season’s fastest fifty (15b), brought up with a towering six over long-on off Parnell. Badoni (30, 24b, 4×4) and the tail ensured the effort didn’t go waste.

-N. Sudarshan

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