Why will RCB chase 213 despite LSG putting 209 on board at the rain-affected Ekana Stadium in Lucknow?

There have been multiple rain delays at the Ekhana Stadium in the match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants on May 07. Even though LSG put 209 runs on the board, RCB will be chasing 213.

Notably, due to the rain, LSG lost an over in the end as they batted 19 overs. The Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method was applied to account for the loss of overs. Because LSG had already batted 14 overs and were in a strong position (145/1) before the major rain delay, the DLS calculation "weights" their remaining resources as if they would have scored more in a full 20-over game, thereby increasing the target for RCB to 213 in 19 overs.

The Calculation

The revised target in the DLS method is based on the resources available to both teams:

• R1 (LSG): Resources actually available during their innings
• R2 (RCB): Resources available at the start of the chase

Since RCB had more effective resources than LSG, the target was increased.

Formula

When R2>R1:

Target=LSG Score×(R1R2​)+1

A more detailed DLS formula is:

Target=LSG Score+G50×100(R2−R1)​+1

• G50: Average 50-over score, currently 245 in top-level matches.

What are R1 and R2?

• R1: LSG’s effective resource percentage after the interruption reduced their innings.
• R2: RCB’s fixed resource percentage for a known 19-over chase with 10 wickets in hand.

Why the Target Increased

• LSG batted expecting 20 overs and may have conserved wickets for the end overs.
• Their innings ended early while only three wickets were down.
• DLS considered that LSG did not fully utilize their batting resources.
• Since RCB started knowing they had 19 overs, their available resources were statistically higher.

If LSG had been, for example, 9 wickets down when the rain came, the target for RCB would likely have decreased because LSG would have had very few resources left to score more runs anyway.

1st innings summary

Mitchell March scored the bulk of runs for LSG. He scored 111 in 56 balls. Nicholas Pooran contributed 38 runs in 23 balls, while captain Pant gave a late push, scoring 32 runs in just 10 balls.

Krunal Pandya has been the peak bowler for RCB, taking a wicket giving just 31 runs in 4 overs. Jos Hazlewood and Rasikh Salam got one each.

Meanwhile, RCB will be chasing 213 runs in 19 overs. It means RCB must score at a required run rate of 11.21 runs per over to win tonight's match.