RCB vs LSG: IPL 2026 saw a match which changed the meaning of Player of the Match. Royal Challengers Bangalore performed brilliantly and defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 5 wickets, but the most talked about player was the one who won even by taking just 1 wicket. We are talking about RCB’s star fast bowler Josh Hazlewood.
1 wicket, but match winning spell
While on one hand Rasikh Salam Dar broke the back of LSG’s batting by taking 4 wickets, Hazlewood changed the course of the match with his tight bowling. He gave only 20 runs in his 4 overs and took one important wicket. He showed Nicholas Puran the way to the pavilion on the first ball of the 7th over with a personal score of just 1 run. This economical and pressure-creating bowling made him the player of the match, while bowlers who took more wickets like Rasikh Salam Dar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were left behind. Rasikh took 4 wickets while giving 24 runs in 4 overs, which is his best bowling performance. Whereas, Bhuvi hunted 3 batsmen.
So far in IPL 2026, different players have become player of the match for RCB. Jacob Duffy then Tim David in the first match and Phil Salt and now Josh Hazlewood in the third match. Since 2025, 10 different RCB players have won the Player of the Match award, which is the most from any team.
LSG’s weak batting
Batting first, LSG team never looked in rhythm. Except Mitchell Marsh (40) and Ayush Badoni (38), no batsman could play a big innings and the entire team was bundled out for 146 runs, which is their lowest score this season. Lucknow captain Rishabh Pant once again flopped. Pant could score only 1 run. Except Prince Yadav and Avesh Khan, the rest of the bowlers of Lucknow disappointed a lot. Prince Yadav took 3 kills. Avesh Khan made 2 batsmen his victims giving 23 runs in 4 overs.
Read also
These 3 players can replace Rohit Sharma, now who will get a chance in the playing XI?
MI vs PBKS: Will Mumbai be able to stop the victory chariot of Punjab Kings? The competition has been equal so far in IPL
Latest Cricket News
SK Sharma is a content writer who writes on news, entertainment, and lifestyle topics. She has over four years of experience and is known for conveying information in simple and clear language.
