Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants, 36th Match - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

RR were on top for most parts of the game. Removed Marsh, Pooran and Pant cheaply. Despite the Markram-Badoni partnership, they were able to keep a lid on the scoring rate. Sandeep's last over went for 27 runs but all that momentum gained by LSG was squashed in the powerplay by Jaiswal and Suryavanshi. But they've somehow ended up on the losing side. Two agonising losses and it'll be tough for them to recover. LSG, on the other hand, jump to the fourth spot with this win Their bowlers have delivered under pressure. If they can find a way to make inroads in the powerplay, they'll be even more lethal. On that note, it's curtains down. Tune in tomorrow for another double-header. Until then, goodbye...

Avesh Khan | Player of the Match: My hand is fine, thought I broke it, hit my bone, I couldn't celebrate. I don't want to become Mitchell Starc, I just want to become a good Avesh Khan. Yorker is my strength and I try to execute it. If I bowl with clarity, I execute it well. I don't bowl looking at the scorecard. I didn't want to concede a boundary in the first three balls. And the batters would be under pressure. (On Miller's drop) When the ball went up in the air, I thought he would catch it for sure. After he dropped, just 4 runs were needed, there were a few doubts in my mind, one outside edge or inside edge could go for a boundary. I told myself to bowl a yorker on middle-leg. I think about the team, I just wanted to win the match. This is a big tournament, I will try to bowl the same way in the remaining matches.

Rishabh Pant: (Relief or happiness?) I think both. These kind of matches build character. It was an amazing win. As a team, this is going to take us to a different level. These kind of matches can build the character of players and team. These are the positive things we always talk about. Looking forward, I feel we are going to do better. All the credit to the bowlers holding their nerves at the right time. It's not easy, especially in a game we're always behind the game. They (RR) played brilliantly as a batting unit but our bowlers kept their nerve, especially Avesh - he bowled three overs and it was fantastic. (On the final over) The idea was to take your own time, execute the plan with a clear mindset, taking one ball at a time and take it as deep as possible and trusting your bowler and fielders. We are moving in a positive direction. Just enjoying the win as of now. We are going to sit together and talk about what are the areas to work on after this.

Stats by Shashikant Singh

Lowest defeat-margins for RR (by runs)
1 vs SRH, Hyderabad, 2024
1 vs DD, Delhi, 2012
2 vs LSG, Jaipur, 2025*

Lowest win-margins for LSG (by runs)
1 vs KKR, Kolkata, 2023
2 vs KKR, Mumbai DYP, 2022
2 vs RR, Jaipur, 2025*
4 vs KKR, Kolkata, 2025
5 vs MI, Lucknow, 2023

- Just the second win for LSG against RR in six IPL games.

Shardul Thakur - Never easy, pressure time you know, high stakes on the line. I tried to run him out, unfortunately I didn't and then next ball I took the catch. No idea (on the catch), I probably was standing at the right angle, that's something very important and managed to take it. We knew Avesh's capability (with the ball), credit to Prince as well for that 19th over. He can surprise the batter easily (with his pace), that's what we saw today and in that first game in Vizag as well. Very happy (on being part of the team), the coaches and the management have stressed about following the process and not worrying about the results. I think around 4 games have gone to the wire and we've won 3 of those. Credit goes to the management for making sure that we are taken good care of, both on and off the field. Their encouragement has helped us get through difficult moments.

Riyan Parag: Feeling a little hard to process the emotions, not sure what we did wrong. We were in the game till the 18-19th over. I probably should have finished it in the 19th over, I blame myself. We just have to put one game together collectively for 40 overs, only then can we win. We did really well (with the ball), the last over was unfortunate, thought that we would stop them for 165-170. Sandy (Sandeep Sharma) bhai is trusted, he’s only had one bad game. Samad batted really well. We should’ve chased that down. Today was perfect, no complaints about the wicket. We were right in it, just a few balls can cost you an IPL game.

23:20 Local Time, 17:50 GMT, 23:20 IST: Pant is still shaking his head and has a cheeky smile on his face as LSG get out of jail. Despair in RR's camp. Just like the DC game, they needed 9 runs off the final over. They scored 8 on Wednesday and lost in the Super Over. Tonight, at home, they managed to score just 6 runs. Chasing LSG's 180, they were ahead of the rate throughout the innings as their two young left-handed openers got them off to a flier. 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi made an impact on debut, hit a first ball six and scored an impressive 20-ball 34. His opening partner - Yashasvi Jaiswal - recorded his third successive fifty. Digvesh Rathi, LSG's best bowler of the season, went wicketless for the first time and the hosts needed just 25 runs off the last 3 overs with eight wickets in hand. RR were cruising. That's when Avesh Khan decided to make it interesting. He removed both the set batters - Jaiswal and Parag - in the same over. Hetmyer struck a couple of boundaries in the 19th over off Prince which brought the equation down to '9 needed off 6' for the second time in as many matches. Avesh held his nerve while the Royals capitulated once again.

Avesh Khan to Shubham Dubey, 1 run, Avesh Khan has done it and LSG win! Very full ball, Shubham Dubey drills it back at the bowler and the ball hits his boot before rolling towards extra cover. Oh, Avesh actually got a hand on it and is in pain as his team-mates mob him...

4 runs | 1 ball

Avesh Khan to Shubham Dubey, 2 runs, dropped! 138.8kph, full toss, Dubey clears his front leg to smoke it over long-on. More height than distance. Miller runs in from long-on, settles under the skier and fumbles. That's what pressure can do even to the best of players

6 runs | 2 balls.

Avesh Khan to Shubham Dubey, no run, 141.7kph, perfect yorker, Shubham Dubey can only squeeze it back to the bowler

Shubham Dubey, left handed bat, comes to the crease

6 runs | 3 balls. Pant stops the bowler as he runs in. Deep point, long leg, deep square leg, deep mid-wicket and long-on in place

Avesh Khan to Hetmyer, out Caught by Thakur!! Hetmyer can't believe what he's done. Jumps in agony before taking the long walk back. Avesh doesn't quite nail the yorker on this occasion, it's an overpitched delivery and Hetmyer shuffles to flick. Picks out the man at backward square leg perfectly. Shardul was moved from third man after the fumble and he doesn't err on this occasion. Hetmyer c Thakur b Avesh Khan 12(7) [4s-2]

Avesh Khan to Hetmyer, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

6 runs | 4 balls.