Breetzke Debuts, Pant Shines, Jitesh Seals RCB’s Stunning Chase

Rishabh Pant produced a commanding century in Lucknow on Tuesday, but his unbeaten 118 off 61 balls was not enough to secure a win. 

His team, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their final IPL 2025 league match at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.

Opting to bat first, LSG posted an imposing 227 for 3, with Pant anchoring the innings spectacularly. The skipper’s knock featured 11 boundaries and eight sixes, marking his second century of the season and taking him past 3,500 career IPL runs. Mitchell Marsh provided strong support with a blistering 67 off 37 deliveries, reaching the 5,000-run milestone in T20 cricket along the way.

Marsh and debutant Matthew Breetzke gave LSG a lively start, putting on 25 runs before the South African newcomer was dismissed early. Pant then took control, accelerating after the powerplay and reaching his half-century off just 24 balls. The duo of Pant and Marsh stitched a fluent 50-run partnership, punishing the RCB attack with an array of shots. Marsh eventually departed after a flurry of boundaries and sixes, but Pant powered on to three figures in the 18th over, closing the innings with a flourish.

In reply, RCB found themselves in early trouble at 123 for 4, despite an aggressive start. Akash Singh dismissed Phil Salt, while Will O’Rourke struck twice in quick succession to remove Rajat Patidar and Liam Livingstone. Avesh Khan later claimed the prized wicket of Virat Kohli, who had contributed a measured 54.

However, RCB’s chase was steadied by a resilient, unbroken 107-run partnership between captain Jitesh Sharma (85) and Mayank Agarwal (41), guiding their side to victory with eight balls to spare.