Virat Kohli frustrated amid Rishabh Pant’s century, Andy Flower and Dinesh Karthik intervene to advise Jitesh Sharma

New Delhi: Despite a disappointing IPL 2025 season overall, Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant concluded the league with a memorable performance. He scored a century in just 55 balls at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium, celebrating with a somersault. This impressive feat set a challenging 278-run target for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who were already playoff-bound.

Josh Hazlewood’s absence significantly hampered Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bowling performance. The lack of his contribution allowed Rishabh Pant and Mitchell Marsh to establish a strong partnership, scoring 152 runs off 73 balls and effectively dismantling the RCB bowlers. This included Pant’s second IPL century, his first since 2018.

During a match where Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) batsmen, Marsh and Pant, batted aggressively, former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli appeared frustrated. Following the powerplay, with LSG having scored 55 runs for one wicket, Kohli conferred animatedly with head coach Andy Flower. Subsequently, team mentor Dinesh Karthik spoke with LSG’s stand-in captain, Jitesh Sharma.

Following a brief discussion near the boundary, Virat Kohli rallied his Royal Challengers Bangalore teammates in a huddle, aiming to motivate them and reverse their fortunes. However, the team’s performance did not improve.

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s poor performance against Lucknow was not limited to bowling; their fielding was also subpar.

Mitchell Marsh and Rishabh Pant’s 152-run partnership was broken when Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Marsh. However, Pant continued the strong batting performance, aided by Nicholas Pooran. Pant’s unbeaten 118 runs, achieved in 54 balls, marked his second-highest IPL score and his second IPL century. His first IPL century was scored against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018 while playing for Delhi Capitals.

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